


Find Thy Hell

by BeholdIAmDeath



Category: Christian Bible (New Testament), Christian Bible (Old Testament), Christian Scripture & Lore, Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Babies, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Children, Dark Character, Depression, Dubious Consent, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Immortality, Interspecies Relationship(s), Macabre, Master/Servant, Master/Slave, Mental Breakdown, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Revenge, Revenge Sex, Sharing a Bed, Suicidal Thoughts, Vampire Hunters, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-02-26 12:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 44,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2652776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeholdIAmDeath/pseuds/BeholdIAmDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For 2000 years, the Nistarim have hunted the Collectors or vampires. Since the beginning of time, the Collectors have roamed the Earth, taking the life blood of humans. Their paths are colliding with every passing second as they come closer and closer to the End of Days. War is on the horizon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."_

_Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."_

_Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her._

_Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her." So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"_

_Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work."_

_And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." (Genesis 29)_

* * *

Leah thought the worst was over when her child was finally in the hands of the midwife. Her eyes were half-lidded with exhaustion, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep away the exhaustion stealing her awareness, but there was suddenly more commotion in the chamber than even during the birthing. Leah's mother, Abighayl, held her against her side, gently rubbing her hand over her stomach in a soothing manner, but she could sense a sudden tension in her. It was then that she realized she heard no crying.

"Ama, is it healthy? Is it a boy? My husband will not love me if it is not."

Her mother pressed her lips against her damp forehead but did not stir or answer any of her questions. When Leah moved to sit up, she put a restraining arm over her shoulders. She was too weak to fight. Fear rose, hard and strong in her soul. She desperately wanted to feel her child moving in her arms. Surely Yahweh wouldn't give her a child only to steal him away from her in his first moments outside of her womb? Panic welled up in her chest.

"Give me my baby," she demanded, holding out her arms. She was so weak that they shook like leaves during a storm, and tears gathered in her eyes. The midwife blocked her view so she could not see the babe. "Tell me what is wrong!"

"Leah, my love, do not be so distressed." Her mother's voice had a calming effect on her as tears gathered in Leah's eyes. "All will be well, I promise you. Yahweh will not abandon your child."

"The babe, ama. Is it well?" she asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She had failed miserably. Now her husband would never love her. He would only ever love her beautiful sister, Rachel. She was doomed to never be happy,

A sudden, shrill wail interrupted her thoughts. It was the most beautiful sound Leah had ever heard. The tears she had been struggling hold back fell then, and she laughed even as she sobbed. She looked to the opening of the tent, waiting for her husband to come and see his firstborn son, but...he would not come. Of course he wouldn't. He was busy tending to Rachel, the one he truly loved. Leah wouldn't let that keep her from this one happy moment though.

"My lady, you have a healthy young son who demands your attention," announced the midwife tenderly, coming to Leah's side bearing a swaddled bundle.

When she reached up eagerly to accept it, her arms shook more with excitement than with fear. He was so very tiny. He weighed so little that she felt as if she were holding air. She had loved this little creature since his conception, but to see him was beyond words. She felt joy, rapture and elation that he was alive.

"Oh, Yahweh, you have given me the most precious of gifts," Leah breathed, brushing the babe's cheek with her knuckle. She offered him a finger, and he clutched it tightly. "Such strength."

"He's perfect." Her mother smiled.

"What will he be called, my lady?" the midwife asked, directing her apprentice to carry out the last of the bloodied sheets.

"His name shall be called Reuben," she said softly. She looked down at her son, so innocent and helpless. "It is because Yahweh has seen my misery that I was given this child. Surely my husband will love me now."

* * *

"I've heard it all, connection lost

We're standing by, artificial light

You sell a fix for our defect

And all we find, artificial light

Doesn't break the model

I-"

Leah jerked when her phone first went off and pulled her from her dream-filled sleep. She had been sleeping in the trunk of her Hummer outside a 24 hour Walmart. She lay back down as she hit the call button, trying not to fall back to sleep while talking on the phone. She had the nasty habit of doing that. "Yes?"

"Leah? Is that you?"

"Uh huh."

"It's Sawyer. I just got a request for one of your special order bullets made from wood in brass casing."

Leah sat up. "Where?"

"Detroit. Kid just left. He said it was for a client."

"Did he leave a name?" Leah asked as she pulled on her blouse and started buttoning it hurriedly.

"Adam."

Leah grinned. She had him! After three centuries of searching, she finally had a lead. "Thanks, Sawyer. I really owe you one."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Leah traced Ava down to Nevada where she was currently running amuck and killing aimlessly. She was an Adamite, meaning she was bitten by a vampire with the Adam strain of the Collector disease. It was very important she know this because each strain could only be killed by certain things. For the Adamites, it's wood to the heart. For the Barabbites, decapitation. Jezeblians had to be cut into pieces and fed to dogs, and Judans had to be hung with blessed rope for two days in the sun. Lilitites could only be killed with a cat-o-nine-tails dipped in holy water. However, there were some universal killers like tainted blood, the blood of Christ and dead man's blood, but those were hard to administer at the right doses during a fight.

Ava was a scrawny thing wearing a faux fur coat, a form fitting dress and heels. Her hair was permed to the point of being frizzy, and she had a thick nose. Leah was quietly watching as Ava fed on a man in a rented white and black Ford Mustang. He was an older gentleman with too much money on his hands as evidenced by the luxurious clothes. As soon as the man started to grow still and quit struggling, Leah began to unholster her two guns.

Ava was a baby compared to what Leah usually dealt with. Babies were always starving, and Ava was sloppy and arrogant which made her easy to track. Even a cop could track her down. Leah watched quietly as Ava climbed out of the car and started walking back towards the bright city lights through the cool desert night. Leah could smell the fresh blood from where she stood. Grimacing, she jumped from her perch and dashed over to the car. The back of the man's head was touching his back, and his windpipe was eaten out. He struggled too much for her to get a good bite. Leah growled and started following after Ava, syncing their footfalls so as not to be detected. Thankfully, she was also downwind, and Ava was stupid enough to think she got away with it.

Leah raised both guns, aiming before shooting to get her attention. She didn't want to kill her just yet. That would come later. First, she needed information. Leah knew for a fact that Ava and Eve were blood kin sired by an Adamite, and she also knew that Eve was Adam's current mate. She needed to find and destroy Adam, one of the Alpha vampires. The Alphas were the first of their breed. There was Adam, Barabbas, Jezebel, Judas and Lilith. If you killed the Alpha, all of their descendants would die along with them. Only one strain had ever been obliterated: the Cain strain. But that was centuries ago, and the Alphas had gotten smarter.

Ava squeaked and jumped back from where the bullets hit the ground just beside her high-heeled feet. She nearly toppled over as she turned to face Leah. Just as she turned, Leah seized her by the throat, speed making her almost blurry. Her hand curved around her throat, nails sinking into her neck. She came to a stop and threw her back against the Mustang.

Ava coughed to clear her airway. "Who the fuck are you, cunt?"

"Not important." Leah took a step forward, but suddenly her right hand was gone. She looked down at her appendage and then at Ava. She had underestimated Ava's ability to take action. She had just fed after all, so she was at her strongest. Leah looked down at her hand and watched as it liquidated. The opalescent fluid that was her life force seeped under her foot and was absorbed by her body as her hand began to mend itself.

"The fuck are you?"

"I am one of the Nistarim."

"Nistarim? Never heard of it. Fuck this shit. And fuck you! I'm leaving."

Leah was in front of her by the time she was turned around to go. "Pathetic," she snarled from behind her thick black hair.

Leah brought her hands up, both guns in each hand, and began shooting, watching how Ava dodged by speed alone. She needed to handicap her in a way that wouldn't quickly regenerate. Leah shot forward and straddled Ava's right leg. She grabbed her hip and then used her weight as a fulcrum. There was a dull pop as the joint dislocated. Ava looked at the appendage, eyes wide before screaming in either pain or rage. Before she could think, she found her mouth full of metal, and her head was exploding, blood spraying everywhere like a water balloon.

But Leah wasn't done yet. She knew this couldn't be the end of the vampire; she hadn't used the wood bullet in the cartridge on her thigh. But that was okay, she'd make sure Ava wasn't able to twitch before she took the finishing blow.

Leah turned. The body was gone. Shit.

Leah suddenly felt a pain in her back, gasping as opalescent liquid began to spill from her mouth. She looked down and saw a metal rod from the Mustang protruding from her chest. Already Leah could feel herself healing. Only two things could kill her kind, and those were a special blade and death from erosion. There were only six of the special blades in existence: the black khopesh. The black khopesh were given the blessing of Satan during the time of Noah when demons copulated with humans and created the Nephilim. The devil gave the Nephilim six khopesh to destroy the messengers of The Lord. After the Great Flood, the khopesh were lost; however, the vampires already had four of them. The second and more common cause of death was erosion. Erosion was the burning out of the body containing the spirit of the Nistarim. The body would give out, and the soul would return to Heaven.

An insane smirk formed on Leah's lips, as small bone-like blades appeared from her wrists. Her hands reached up to grab the spike, ignoring how it cut her fingers. She shoved the blade backwards, effectively removing herself and falling into the dirt with a thump. Her glasses fell from her eyes upon impact.

Ava watched in shock, her hands now shaking as the held the blade coated in her pale off-white...blood. She watched as the wounds on Leah's back slowly began to seal up with sinewy skin. Leah wouldn't get up though. She was just lying there on the ground in a heap. Ava heard mocking laughter, and it resonated deep inside her as she looked back up and saw that Leah was fully healed.

"Is that all you have? You can cut me into as many pieces as you want, I'll just come back. You see, my kind aren't easy to kill. We were, after all, made to kill you. We need to be durable."

Of course Ava was ignorant as to why she wouldn't die. She had probably never seen one of Leah's kind before. That's because they were few and far between. There used to be two thousand in total at the beginning of their mission, but their numbers were slowly dwindling. The end was nearing as their numbers continued to drop. It was only a matter of time.

Leah lunged forward, switching out cartridges as she went. She pushed Ava into the ground and put her gun to her chest. Ava seized up, likely smelling the wood bullet in amongst the gunpowder. It was time to do a little questioning.

"Where were you three days ago?"

Silence.

Leah cocked the hammer. "If I don't hear it from you, I can hear it from someone else."

"F-Fine...just...promise you won't kill me."

"I'll consider it." She quickly considered it; nope, not gonna happen.

"D-Detroit with...with my sister."

"Eve?"

She nodded shakily.

"Was Adam with her?"

Ava opened and shut her mouth. Bingo.

The next thing she did was put three rounds through Ava's pretty little chest at point-blank range. She used the fang in her wrist to impale the chest and feed off of the blood within. Nistarim weren't supposed to require feeding or drinking. After all, they were filled with the blood of Christ. Leah was an exception. She had lost her grace and many of her abilities. She could no longer hear God speak to her, she couldn't sense Heaven, she was susceptible to illness and much more. She could only feel the intense burden of every sorrow in the world. She had to feed off of what she killed to sustain her. She was like a plank floating in the ocean. She was drowning. All she could do was hope that by killing these vampires that she would be able to return to Heaven when the time came.

* * *

It was kind of nice to not have to sneak or con her way into a house for once. She usually had to use fake badges because her tips came in the forms of dead bodies. Not tonight though. To just pull up into the driveway and walk up to the front door as if she owned the place was nice. She didn't enjoy lying. The house was large and imposing like a small palace, with three stories and an attic under a broad gabled roof. Of course Adam would look for the diamond in the rough.

"Nice, huh?"

Leah jumped at the sound of Abel's voice. He was slouched against a column while she had been picking the lock. "Hebel, el ydy hdm shhbhyl 'wty," (Abel, by the Blood, you scared me) she breathed out in their native Hebrew tongue. "Mh eth 'wshh k'n?" (What are you doing here)

It was always custom in their species to greet each other in either Latin or Hebrew. It was their way of reconnecting to their past lives as humans as well as their rebirth.

Abel looked down his nose at her in distaste. "'Ny b' lhstkl el 'yk shhw' 'wshh hw' 'shwy lhywt h'wyb 'bl hw' 'dyyn h'b' shly. (I came to see where my father has been hiding all these years) Why are you trying to pick the lock?" he asked in English.

"To get in."

Abel stepped forward and grabbed the door knob, pushing it open. He stepped past her as she remained kneeling and went into the house. Leah rolled her eyes and put away her tools before stepping inside and pulling out a small flashlight. The first floor was filled with nothing but trash. Abel was busy fishing through old photos, likely looking for something with his father in it. The two floors were dark and stuffy while thick velvet curtains hid the windows from view. Every surface was covered in papers and books and wires, and the air smelled of blood.

Leah walked up the stairs and saw where the blood smell came from. There was a huge puddle of it soaked into the carpet. Leah bent and tasted it before hurriedly spitting it out in distaste. O negative. It looked like the place had been ransacked recently. Leah picked up a broken guitar and frowned. Adam would never break an instrument. If he had any code of moral conduct, breaking instruments would be sin number one. She sat it back down gently and continued looking.

"Are you looking for something specific?" she asked as Abel walked up the stairs.

"I don't need help from you."

Leah winced and looked back to her work. She supposed she could understand his hatred. She broke the covenant with God and made their jobs harder. But…

She went to the pitch black bedroom next and gagged. She could smell Adam, Eve and sex all over the room. Did they never change their sheets?! She covered her nose and started digging around for something that could lead her to their next nest. She pulled out her phone and called Detroit Metropolitan Airport?

"Hello, this is Detroit Metro Airport my name is Sadie. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I purchased two tickets for a night flight. Could you give me the time and number. I need it for reimbursement purposes with the company I work for. I was on a long business trip with a colleague of mine."

"I'll try. Name?"

"Just a moment, I have another call."

"Alright."

Leah sighed. This would be where things got difficult. Those two had enough aliases to get them through the next four centuries. She started going through the list on her phone. There were three that they hadn't used in a while. Knowing Eve, she'd go for one with literary background. There was only one set that fit that description. "Hello? I'm back. The two names are Stephen Dedalus and Daisy Buchanan."

"Let's see...oh yes, I see you here. Alright, you were on a flight to Tangier."

"Oh, excellent. Thank you. And the flight numbers? Excellent. Goodbye," she quickly hung up the phone. "I've gotcha now you slimy bastard."


	2. Chapter 2

Eve was spooked into wakefulness with a jolt. She was in a cold sweat, her breathing heavy. She blinked a couple of times, trying to organize her reality and the dream into two different corners of her mind. It took her a moment to get things straight. Everything was quiet, and the only sound she heard was the slow breathing of her darling husband beside her. She could faintly hear bike horns in the distance as well as the sounds of livestock from the market two streets over. There were sounds of people in the market as well, yelling out prices and wares while children played.

Eve glanced over at Adam who was still sleeping peacefully; she was glad she didn't wake him. She often did wake him in the middle of dreams because of the bond they shared, but their activities just before bed seemed to have drained his energy. She was glad he was getting some sleep. He was looking rather gaunt and aged. She took in a slow, deep breath before gently moving out of bed and out of Adam’s arms. She slipped her feet into her slippers as she grabbed a robe, wrapping it tightly around her.

They were currently residing in her home in Tangier. Adam had a cellar put in to use as their own little kitchen. She padded down the creaky wood steps into the cellar and lit a kerosene lamp as soon as her feet touched the cool cement ground. Adam had been speaking with the others, and they discovered a way of harvesting and maintaining a steady stock of the good stuff. For it to work, one must have a human consumed by one of the seven deadly sins. Sure, it worked for other sins too, but this had a much stronger hold. After biting them, roots begin to grow out of the base of the heel. Turns out Lilith was actually doing some experimenting over in Paris. The Collecting as she called it had two perks: a continual supply of clean blood and it was a burden to the Nistarim. The Nistarim sensed intense suffering. Some weaker ones were known to buckle and die, making their lives much safer. The less Nistarim there were on Earth the better.

Eve looked at the macabre collage on the wall made of thorny roots. Every few feet, you could see body parts sticking out from the thick bushels. Sometimes they would sluggishly move or the mouths would gape like fish. Eve stepped closer and ran her hand over the roots that were fat and pulsing with fresh blood. It smelled so erotic, so rich. The air itself was like wine to the senses. The bodies stared blankly at her, unaware of their new place on the food chain. Eve purred to herself and removed one of the thorns from a root. She looked at the thorn filled with thick, rich good stuff and brought it to her nose. It was truly exhilarating. She brought the makeshift cup to her lips and drank hedonistically. Euphoria passed through her as liquid passion shot through her long-dead veins. Her fangs elongated as the blood continued to drip down her throat. She moaned and leaned against a meaty leg as her body became awash with the orgasmic high of feeding. As she came down, she ran her fingers over the apple of her cheek, still trying to shake the images of her dream.

"It's noon."

Eve smiled at the feeling of strong arms wrapping around her waist. A cool cheek pressed itself into her neck and nuzzled there. She could sense his drowsiness and irritation that she left him. "Bad dreams, my love."

"Was it your sister?"

Eve started somewhat. She turned her head to catch a glimpse at his sleep-ruffled hair and elegantly pointed nose. If he had the same dream…that could only mean one thing. Her sister... "Why do you say that?"

"Because I had one too."

Eve reached out through their bond and searched his feelings. He was being very withdrawn with her all of a sudden. Just a few days ago, she had actually gotten him to smile if only for a few brief moments. She felt a sense of apprehension and foreboding coming from him. It made her concerned about this dream of hers. Perhaps it wasn't all just a bad dream.

"About Ava?" she asked cautiously.

"You think she was doing the spooky shit again?"

"If she was," Eve said bleakly as she swayed in his arms. "She's probably no longer with us."

Eve didn't expect the swell of emotion that came next. Deep-seated sorrow seemed determined to wedge itself into her throat as her eyes began to water with tears. Before she could stop it, a short sob escaped her. Adam sighed quietly and turned her around in his arms, holding her face in the scent spot on his neck. She wasn't expecting such an emotional response, especially after what happened in Detroit, but she had always considered Ava as a baby sister. Perhaps it hit so hard because she was still grieving the loss of her dear Marlowe. She felt Adam trying to soothe her through the bond.

"Come to bed," Adam purred into her hair, breathing in her scent as she slowly calmed in his arms.

"Oh Adam."

"I need to reconnect with you."

Eve pressed her cheek into his shoulder. "Is this all there is left for us? Death?"

"Yes," he monotonously droned. "Except us that is." Ah Adam, always with the driest sense of humor.

Eve huffed and smirked at him. "Always us, beloved."

As Adam took her hand and led her back up into their home, she began to observe him with true awe and love. His skin had always been very pale, even for one of their kind. She had often studied his skin, the way it hugged his bone and muscle with every movement. His eyes glinted in the darkness as he laid her out on the bed like one of his beloved instruments. She thought back to when they first met in an orphan home in what is now Romania. She hadn't known until after he'd mated her that he was the Alpha of their breed. Adam, the first man. She was so blessed.

Eve sighed as Adam slowly, almost shyly, crawled up the bed like he was so unworthy of her that looking at her would be a cardinal sin. "Mine, mine, want," Adam murmured under his breath as he kissed her and bit down on her lip.

Eve groaned and pulled his weight fully against her, relishing in the differences of their bodies and how well they fit together. Like a puzzle. Her fangs pierced his cold lip as her tongue snaked out to lap at the wound. She could already begin to feel their bond strengthening again with the addition of new blood. He withdrew and began suckling the skin of her neck, and she actually arched under his touch. She hadn't realized how much she needed this. Their connection. Her gums started to ache as her fangs pierced the skin just under his stubbled jaw.

Adam panted at the sensation and started eagerly rocking against her bare thigh. Eve took that moment to look at his face. He looked so young during the throes of pleasure. All of his cares and pains were gone in these moments of intense joining. Eve ran her fingers over his chest down to his maleness and parted her legs. She was ready to be one with her husband again. He pressed in slowly but calmly until he was fully seated within; Eve let out a sigh of content. She was a complete being.

"Eve," Adam sobbed softly. He always lost himself during these moments. It only made their love more special. He would only ever look this way with her.

His hips moved surely and steadily, each motion filled with pleasure and passion. Eve admired the man above her, so willing to trust and sacrifice everything. Adam leaned forward, changing the angle to push them further and further to the edge. She was accepting even as Adam bit down harshly on her neck. She groaned and writhed beneath him as her completion began. He always seemed to need this at the end, this final taste of oneness. He shivered as her blood spilled across his tongue and his hips gave one last buck, causing his own completion to spill. He drank greedily; the scent of their coupling was intoxicating that the taste was driving him into frenzy.

Adam moved away from her and immediately began to clean up the little speckles of blood from the blue and white bed. She never had to ask him to do these things anymore. It was his way of making her feel loved without actually saying anything. When he was done, he returned and pulled her in close, breathing in her scent as he continued to come down from his high.

"Eve,” he said as he pulled her face into his neck as he pressed their chests together.

"Hmm?"

"We need to leave."

Eve sensed his dread and fear, something she wasn't used to feeling. She hadn’t felt these feelings for a few weeks. The last time she felt it was when Adam found Ian dead and his precious guitar destroyed. She had an idea of why he was feeling it too. One of the Nistarim was likely hot on their trail. They needed to cover their tracks and start over somewhere new.

"Alright, darling," she said wearily as she began to drift off into soothing sleep. "Where are we going?"

"You pick."

"We’ve been to so many places,” she said drowsily as she lovingly stroked his spine. “We haven’t been to Russia in a few centuries."

He seemed alright with that because the next thing she heard was his grunt of agreement and then deep breathing. She peeked up past his jaw and hair and was met with his innocent, sleeping face. She kissed his nose and fell just as easily into a deep, death-like slumber. There, in her dreams, she was human again and living with her uncle during the plagues. Eve wondered what Adam dreamed about.


	3. Chapter 3

_At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”...Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. (Mathew 27: 45-54)_

* * *

 

Leah awoke to light, not the light of flames, but brilliant white light. It was bright, but it neither harmed nor dazzled her eyes and was neither warm nor cool. It was comfortable like nothing she had ever experienced. It made the light of the Sun mere shade by comparison, and it scared away all hint of shadow yet gave no discomfort. She realized then how well she felt. Before, she felt so very ill. She had been that way for many nights.

* * *

Leah was shaking as she secured the tent flap before rushing to her reflective rock to look at her eye, fearing what she would find. Her son, Levi, said that there appeared to be something in it. She feared the worst. The colored portion of one of her eyes was distorted, distended and red. If she thought it would help, she would've torn out the whole eye, but it was just a symptom of whatever that jackal’s bite infected her with. It wouldn’t solve any of her problems.

Stilling her hands with a great effort, Leah dug a vial of liquid from her large oak chest and drained it down her throat. The effects hit sooner and sooner each time she took it, but she pushed through the chills and spasms to check her eye again. It seemed as though the red seeping into the healthy part of her eye halted. Leah breathed a sigh of relief. The compound was helping to slow the infection, but it hadn't done anything to eradicate it. All she was doing was buying herself time. Between the stresses of the infection and the stresses of the elixir, Leah had little energy.

"Ama?" Reuben was calling softly from outside. His timing couldn't have been worse.

"Leave me," she called, but her voice was unexpectedly quiet and even as she spoke she could hear the flap being pushed back. She lay in bed and shut her eyes as her eldest son crouched in front of her.

"That elixir again, ama?" he asked as he picked up the empty vial.

"It's helping."

"It's making you ill. You're just poisoning yourself." His hand was warm against her hair. "Sodom's salt, you're freezing."

Leah said nothing. She was more comfortable when she was silent. Her son was watching with the rapt, anxious attention of a devoted son. She was trying to doze when the nausea hit, and she vomited before she could begin to scramble for a basin. Her head was spinning and her vision has turned blurry, but she could still see that the sick splattered on the floor was all wrong; it smelled of blood and salt so strongly that she retched again. Reuben was saying something, but the ringing in Leah's ears drowned out all but the faintest impression of speech. She felt someone catch her as she began to fall into darkness.

When she woke, it was a different matter. She was burrowed in a cocoon, and it was so stiflingly hot within them that she was struck by panic and started scrabbling at them with hands that couldn't seem to grip. When she finally unearthed herself, she saw Elisheva, Reuben's wife, and Dinah dozing against the edge of her bed in order to keep vigil. Her movements apparently woke her.

"Ah, ama! You're awake. I thought you were dying,” Dinah said as she dipped a cloth in water to clean Leah’s face.

“Dinah, do not waste water on me.”

“Do not say such things, ama,” Elisheva said gently. “You need to cool down.”

Leah began to extricate herself from the awful cocoon, shoulders stiffening when Elisheva automatically moved to support her. She made her way to the washroom on uncooperative legs, Elisheva and Dinah following closely at her heels. She looked in the mirror and nearly screamed in shock and horror. The distortion of her eye, which before had looked like a relic of sleeplessness, had advanced. Her entire eye was blood red, and the black of her eye looked like it was bubbling. The same was already starting to happen to the left eye too. Her skin was ashen, as if her body had little room for color, and her fingertips were blue.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked cautiously.

"Seven nights, ama. We have been taking turns keeping watch over you.”

“That’s silly,” Leah said with a smile before kissing each of them on the forehead. “Go and be with your husbands while I rest. Nothing will happen. Go, see your children. Give them all my love.”

Even as she tried to pray to Yahweh for a cure, the infection seemed to burn stronger each day. Her nail beds turned first blue then black, and a few of them fell out. Touch became more and more intolerable until finally she couldn't stand even the lightest touches. She vomited daily, no matter how much or little she ate, and sometimes she thought she must've been vomiting up her own organs, hollowing herself out. It began to occur with such increasing frequency that she thought she was transforming into a living corpse.

Her sleep on the next night was fitful and she woke too soon to blood filling her mouth. At first it just dribbled out onto her pillow like drool, but as she struggled to consciousness she gaged, choked. She thought about screaming for help, but she was so tired. She was ready to quit being a burden. She was ready to be with Yahweh.

* * *

She lay upon a soft, comfortable bed, in a chamber with walls of white marble. Above her there was no roof, and the sky hung above her, bluer and clearer than any she had ever seen before. From the open ceiling blew a cool, refreshing breeze which gently played across her features and revived her to full consciousness. She could hear a waterfall in the distance, and she could feel tiny droplets of water dancing on her eyelashes.

She sat up, feeling different. In astonishment, she ran her hands slowly across her face. Her body was no longer old and weary, but as it had been before everything had changed when she married Jacob. Her clothing was no longer that of a sick old woman but pure and white and beautiful. Rising to her feet, she gazed about her. In the center of the room rose a winding stairwell up into the heights of the sky, and under it, there was a fountain made of the clearest water she had ever gazed upon. As she stood gazing, a figure gently descended the stairs. It was a man. His beauty was great, too great even to be approached in any tongue, for the light of the place shone all about him, as if it were woven into the very material of his clothes. And when he turned his face to Leah, she saw a pure radiance as if the Flame Eternal shone therein.

A white hand extended towards her, and the man spoke with a voice filled with music, melody and harmony and all the beauty of songs. "Welcome home, Leah, wife of Israel. We have awaited you. God your Father awaits."

Leah followed him as they glided soundlessly up the stairwell. Up and up they climbed into the warmth of the sunlight. At the top, a great throne stood, facing away from the stairwell. The throne ws made of clear, sparkling glass that contained every color possible. Inside the glass, she thought she could see people smiling and dancing. The man glided forward and shielded his eyes as he seemed to communicate with its occupant.

Leah knew who sat there. She fell on her face in awe before him. "Yahweh."

"Arise, Leah, wife of Israel."

She did as she was commanded despite her knowledge that she was unworthy. For a moment, she was in perfect content. She was home; she was in Paradise. The peace of the Father was shining upon and through her. She looked at the form of God, but did not look upon his face. He was pure light and power like that of one million Suns.

Finally, The Lord spoke, his voice stronger than the howling of the gales, and softer than the lightest breeze. "I have a task for you, Leah."

Suddenly, Leah found her mind filled with images of Earth. She saw a virgin give birth to The Lord in human flesh; she saw him die and saw him rise from a tomb. After a time, this train of thought vanished as if it were never there.

Leah blinked and bowed herself in half. "Ask it of me, and it is done."

"Long have you lain in my halls, Leah, and your mind has wandered across paths many and distant. I will resurrect two thousand saints from all reaches of Earth as proof that my Son is the Risen Lord. You will be called the Nistarim. You shall bear the pain of the world, and you will vanquish great evil. Your rewards upon your return to my side shall be without measure."

Leah started, taken somewhat aback. She never expected to be returned to Earth and its miseries. The idea of remaining in Heaven had been the only option that occurred to her. She thought of the beauty of this place, the light and the joy. She could stay, here, in peace and health and wholeness, where there was joy everlasting. But there would not be joy everlasting, she recalled. Not for her. She felt there was something she needed to do. She felt she hadn't done enough. She suddenly saw an image of children being killed by vile creatures of the Dark. If she were to say no, would she ever truly have peace?

"My work is not yet done, Lord. I must return."

"I shall give you great power to fight this evil, and I shall not forsake you when the pain seems too great. I shall place the fire of the Holy Spirit within you so that you may proceed in victory. Drink this." A vial appeared before her. "It is the blood of my son, the Risen King."

* * *

_"It is finished."_

Suddenly, the Earth began to shake violently from its very core. The Earth groaned as it tore open and deep underground, where the only life was that of worms and insects, something stirred. A woman, long laid to rest, twitched, suddenly gasping at the stale air inside a coffin. The tremors suddenly stopped with not a single after tremor. The woman opened eyes that had not seen Sun for many days, and she felt the growing strength of her heart, again beating inside her.

Leah panicked, brining shaking hands up to the coffin lid, feeling how solid the dirt was packed. She heard screams in her newly awakened ears, her screams. She grew desperate and clawed the wood, a surge of adrenaline affording the strength she needed. She broke the lid, ducking her head and clawing her way up as the dirt caved in around her. She felt her hands break free, and then she felt dry, hot air on her face. A hot breeze tussled her long, black hair, and she gulped the fresh air into her newly working lungs. With a last effort she broke her shoulders free, crawling the rest of the way out of her own grave.

And then she felt it. It was as if two tons were being dropped on her head. She could hear agonizing screams and weeping in her head. She felt as though she were being trampled by ten thousand horses. She could feel the pain of what seemed to be every soul on Earth. Leah grimaced and fell to her knees as the pain seemed to consume her entirely. She felt the pain of a woman being beaten, a child being raped, a man being murdered. She felt the grief of a thousand widows and widowers. She sensed the despair and the hunger of ten hundred orphans.

Then an overwhelming sense of peace calmed her nerves and soothed her. She could feel the light of Heaven again, and she nearly wept with relief. Then she heard the voice of the one whose blood returned her there. "Come." The image of a tomb appeared before her eyes. “And see that I yet live.”


	4. Chapter 4

Leah sighed as she walked aimlessly through the Shuk. The market was like a feast for the senses. The entire market smelled of spices, salted beef and fresh vegetables. There was a palette of colors in all different tones and shades to look at. The people were quite interesting too. All around was a cacophony of sounds. Vendors were yelling their products and their prices while a group played traditional music as children danced. Leah stopped at a vendor and looked through her scarves. Some were made from wool and cotton while others were much softer. She moved on to a fruit vendor and saw something that caught her eye.

"Hm elh, shesek?" (Are those shesek)

"Ken, ken." (Yes)

"Ani rotzah sheva." (I need seven)

As soon as he handed the plastic sack to her, Leah took one out and took a small bite before putting the others in her bag. It had been so long since she'd had a good shesek from her homeland. She moaned as the burst of floral citrus hit her tongue. It was a shame she couldn't digest it. As soon as the juice lost its potency, she spit it into the street corner and took another bite. When she found the tea shop where she'd be meeting with an informant, she stepped inside and ordered a lemongrass green tea.

An older man of Indian origin sat in front of her. His hair was black and curled around his temples. The sides of his hair were peppered with grey, and he had stress lines on his forehead and in the corners of his mouth. He wore thin wire glasses that hid his bright hazel eyes. He ordered a scone and some sort of overly spiced black tea. They didn't speak until after he took a few sips of his tea.

"Shalom, Ganesh. You look well."

"Shalom. I am well."

"I hear Sabine is expecting. This will be your...fourth?"

The man smiled. "Ah, yes. A girl, as you suspected."

"Congratulations. Now, onto business, shall we?" Leah asked as she took a sip of her still hot tea, savored the flavor and then spit it in a napkin.

"I see it in your eyes."

"See what?" she murmured.

"The look of hatred, I recognize it."

"The business, Ganesh. I'm in quite a hurry to catch my prey. The cat is hungry," she snapped at him. When she saw his startled expression, she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Forgive me. This has been a long and tedious road, and it is quite personal. Thank you for worrying. You are a good man."

"Saba māpha hai. (All is forgiven) Here," Ganesh said, sliding a notebook over.

Leah opened the composition notebook and gawked at the vast amount of information Ganesh had picked up. The man was an absolute Saint. He had photos of Adam and Eve frequenting a cafe, pictures of Eve and Marlowe dealing out blood canisters and in the back there was a rather crucial photo. It was a photo of Adam and Eve's nest in Tangier. Leah would've kissed Ganesh a thousand times over if he were not married to an old friend.

She smiled as she started writing down information. "Ganesh, you are a Messiah among men."

"No need to write it down, take it with you."

Leah paused. "Are you sure? One of the others may need this."

"No, no I'd rather give it to you."

Leah bowed her head. "Ten thousand thank yous and five thousand blessings."

"You look...weary, Leah," Ganesh said cautiously. "Like Bilbo when he said, 'I am old. Like butter scraped over too much bread.' I don't fully understand what your kind...go through, but I know the others don't look as haggard as you do. I don't mean to offend, but it's concerning."

Leah snorted to herself and looked at her reflection in the dusty window. She had bruise-like bags under her eyes, and she was very pale despite her attempts to hide it with makeup. Her cheeks and eyes were gaunt and nearly lifeless. At least her hair looked healthy. No wonder she got so many odd looks in the Shuk on her way there. She looked like a walking corpse. Leah touched her face gingerly and was suddenly reminded of her death many centuries ago.

"I...broke my covenant," Leah said darkly as she looked into her tea with disdain for the reflection it threw back at her. "Because of that...I have no respite from the agonies of this Earth. The others can all feel and hear God, and when they rest they can feel Heaven as it sings life and rejuvenation into their bones." Leah smiled at the memory of Heaven and how joyful it felt. "It was the best part of every day, but now...I no longer have such a privilege. I must bear this burden with no rest, and it's truly agonizing. I must also feed off of what I hunt…something the others don’t have to contend with. I haven’t consumed anything in many weeks."

"I see."

Leah smiled then, and dug through her large cloth bag she purchased in Tel Aviv from a single mother of two. She was a widow trying to make extra money. Suffice to say, Leah bought her whole supply for double what she asked. Inside, she found what she was looking for: four dolls made from strips of cloth and a single wooden lion figurine. The dolls were in four different colors: red, blue, purple and pink, and they were for Ganesh's three daughters and the one on the way. The lion was made from oak and was hand painted. That was for his son.

As a mother, Leah always had a great fondness for children. Her own children were what kept her going for so long despite her husband’s lack of love for her. She cherished them with all her being and felt blessed that God had given them to her. She blessed him even more when her children had many children of their own. Now that her children had passed--a thought that plagued her daily--she often took the time to dote on others' children. Ganesh's children were a prime example. Every time Naanii Leah came for a visit, she spoiled the children until they were rotten.

Ganesh snorted as soon as he saw what she was pulling out. "Leah, you're going to go broke at this rate."

"Bah," Leah smiled. "My people have several accounts we share as a collective. We have enough money spread out to last us another few centuries." Leah looked outside and saw something that set her on edge. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and the bone spears in her wrists started shifting. It was a Lillitite. Leah could tell just by the smell of him. "We're cutting this short. Follow me, we'll have to go out the back," she said as she stood and put a protective hand on the taller man's back.

As soon as they made it into the alley, Leah pushed him towards a warehouse filled with fruit crates. The warehouse was dingy and stank of sweat. Leah hurriedly hid Ganesh and then his herself up above in the high beams. At that moment, there was a reverberating, grating shriek of metal, and a thin crack of sunlight appeared on the far side of the warehouse. Three Lillities walked in and locked the door behind them. One of them shut the large sliding door as well.

"Smell that? It's fear. Makes the blood more citrusy."

The others cackled as they started spreading out. Leah quietly pulled out her gun and frowned. Her vehicle was several miles away, and it contained all of her equipment. They'd have to make a run for it. Then Ganesh shifted and a box tipped over. Shit. The three moved into an attack formation. The sound of bullets rang through the room as Leah fired before climbing down. All of them were head and joint shots, but that wouldn't stop them for long. She could already see one of them starting to move their fingers.

"Run!" she bellowed as she grabbed Ganesh's elbow and yanked him towards the door. As soon as they were in the alley, Leah jerked Ganesh in front of her to protect him from gunfire. She was low on blood, so she couldn't run any faster than Ganesh. She was probably slower than Ganesh. She turned him right at one intersection and then left. She could smell at least one of them gaining.

As soon as they found the parking garage, Leah jerked him into the stairwell. The elevator was too risky. As they climbed down, a bullet punctured Leah's leg. She fell down the flight screaming. Ganesh stopped to help her, but she just snarled at him and forced him into running again while she used one of the bone protrusions in her wrist to dig out the bullet. By the time she got it out, the vampire was on top of her. Leah grunted as it slammed into her, knocking the air from her lungs and her head on the concrete. She felt her vision swim and swore. She hadn't fed in weeks, so she wasn't healing. She was practically human. She used her legs to force the vampire's head into the wall and managed to crawl away. Good. There was only one of them. She could handle one.

She tried to use the rail to pull herself up, but a knee slammed into her ribcage. She fell to the floor with a yell as she heard the distinct crack of ribs breaking. The vampire grinned down at her and kicked her with enough force to propel her down the stairs to the next level and into the wall where she made an indention in the concrete. The vampire didn't give her a moment to breathe. He was on her immediately, punching her face and throat. She was slowly choking.

"When Casey gets here with the khopesh, I'm gonna gut you alive, bitch."

Leah startled. They had a khopesh?!

Another punch caused her vision to blur and her glasses to shatter. Shards of glass made her eyelashes sparkle. Suddenly, the sound of a pump action rifle echoed through the stairwell. Leah turned just in time to see Ganesh fire and hit the vampire in the stomach. It gave Leah just enough time to shove her bone protrusions into his chest. He gasped and gaped at his chest as blood left his body and was transferred over to hers. She nearly moaned at the feeling of her hunger being sated. Already she could feel her body beginning to mend. Once he was bled dry, Leah shoved him off and struggled to her feet. Ganesh caught her under the arm and hefted her up onto her feet, letting her use him as a crutch.

"I thought...I...told you to...run," she wheezed as they continued down the stairs.

"I did. I ran to my car, and then I ran back here."

Leah chuckled as they burst through the door to basement level 3. Her Hummer was a few yards away. She could hear someone hurrying down the stairs. Leah shoved Ganesh under a car, hoping gasoline would cover his scent until she could deal with their pursuers, and made a run for it. By the time she opened the trunk, she could hear two people yelling. She pulled out her cat-o'-nine tails and turned just in time to get a knife in her chest. A woman who had been walking out of her car screamed at the sight. Before Leah could do anything, her neck was broken and she was on the ground in a pool of her own urine.

Leah growled. "You didn't have to do that."

The woman in charge smiled at her; that must’ve been Casey. She was of African descent and was unusually...dark, for a vampire. Her eyes her brown and her hair was red and in an army cut. Interesting. She was an older vampire, and yet she didn't retain the ways of her time. She was the one who carried the khopesh. "I don't have to remind you that all's fair in love and war, do I?" she asked.

"And this is war," confirmed the Russian male next to her. He was the one she saw following them. It was only a child of eight, but the smell of his blood said he was nearly a century old.

Leah only cracked the whip in response, letting it make a sharp sound in the air. She only prayed no one else came to this level. Before she had time to blink, the child was using momentum to run up her Hummer and kicked her in the nose in a roundhouse. A loud crunch sent a shock through Leah's system followed by opalescent blood spurting down her shirt. He followed through by grabbing the back of her head and slamming her face into his knee. Leah yelled and fell onto all fours, trying to see past the stars dotting her vision.

The boy started walking towards her while Leah was coughing up a lung. When he jerked her up by the hair, she was grinning. "Bad move."

The sound of the whip echoed in the near silence. The boy stared at Leah as she grinned as him. The whip was wrapped around his neck, and the barbs were lodged in the right side of his neck. With a grunt, she used all her force to rip out his throat. The boy was still staring at her in shock as blood sprayed down his front and onto her face.

"Alois!" the woman screamed.

Leah lunged up, using the bone protrusions once again to drain her prey. The only problem was that there was barely anything left. She growled and withdrew in time to see the vampire from the stairwell. He was looking towards where Ganesh was hiding. He was drained and hungry and very, very dangerous. Leah ran at him when she saw the woman pull out the khopesh. She was moving to do a clothesline decapitation. The attempt failed as Leah used her momentum to slide just under, but the woman compensated by going into a downwards arc. Leah gasped as she felt the blade sink into her side. Fire raced through the wound and to her spine as she hit the ground, skidding to a halt only steps from the woman. That wouldn't heal. Leah groaned and gripped the black khopesh but she felt her hand sizzling. She screamed as she pulled it out before beginning to wretch from the pain. Her hand was bubbling and peeling. That wouldn't heal either.

The woman came over and picked up the khopesh. She rolled Leah onto her back and pinned her with her foot. "He was my lover you know. We were going to bond in a few weeks."

Leah tried to move, but she was too sluggish. Her nerves were still being assaulted with the feeling of Hellfire. Tears welled in her eyes as she fell back against the concrete.

"Oooh, looked what I found. You're the bastard that shot me earlier."

Leah's eyes snapped open when she heard Ganesh being dragged out from under that car. With an inhale, she tightened her grip on the whip and lashed it across the Lillities' gut. Steaming entrails splattered onto Leah's chest. A horrible shriek sliced through the air. Leah scrambled back, the pain suddenly an afterthought. She slashed the woman's throat with the whip as she turned in time to see the vampire pinning Ganesh. Leah yelled as she ran at full speed, pulling the vampire off and shoving him into a car. All the cars in the row screeched as they were shifted.

"Who sent you?" Her voice sounded more like a dog's growl than a human voice.

"Fuck you!"

"Leah! Behind!"

Leah turned just in time to see another vampire lunging at her. Of course they'd have backup. She jumped back and put a few bullets in them as they picked up the vampire and khopesh and ran. The danger was gone. Leah felt the pain come back full force and screamed as she fell on the ground in the fetal position. She could feel her control over her body leaving her. She began seizing as fire continued to shoot through her veins. She was rolled onto her side as she seized and drooled onto the pavement.

"It's okay, Leah. Medics are coming."

* * *

The next thing Leah was aware of was a steady beeping somewhere above her, the smell of antiseptic and something pressing on her index finger. Her throat was raw and pain pressed in on her each time her lungs expanded. She tried to move, managed to twitch her fingers, turn her head.

“Leah?” The voice was familiar. She cracked heavy eyelids open.

"Ganesh? The hell are you still doing here?"

“Just relax. You’re all right."

She let her eyes drift closed. “Where am I?” Her mouth felt dry, tongue thick.

“In a hospital,” he replied. He took her hand and pressed something into it. “That’s for you to control your morphine."

"Won't work," she managed. "Khopesh 'sa cursed blade," she slurred.

“How are you feeling?” 

"Hell...literally."

"That blade...what kind of curse did it have?"

"Satan's gift 's what it’s called. Fire of Hell when it hits a Nistarim or other messenger." She opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She was slowly gaining her speech back.

"You had us worried."

"Us?"

"Well, I know your stepson Joseph came by and put some of his blood in your IV bag. My family's all here. I'm sure there were more."

Leah snorted. "Don't be so sure. The Nistarim need to keep our numbers from dropping. Joseph was the one closest to our location. If he cared, he could've done way more. The Nistarim have great healing capabilities."

"I've never understood their hatred for you.”

She shrugged then winced. She looked under the blanket and pulled her gown away just enough to see the wound. It was sewn shut, but it was black around the wound. That would fade…she hoped.

"You didn't have to do that. Save me. I was perfectly capable of defending myself."

“That’s my job. I make sure no one gets hurt.”

“Except you,” Ganesh said, an edge in his voice.

“Except me,” she agreed.

“You’re awake!”

Leah looked towards the sound and smiled when she saw Sabine and the kids coming through the door. Leah grinned brightly and opened her arms wide. All of the children but Raj--who was asleep in his mother's arms--piled into the bed with her. She winced as one sat back against her chest.

"Hey, be careful with Naanii," Sabine chided as she sat and offered her son to her husband. "She's hurt, remember?"

"Bah, I'm fine. I'd be hurt if you three didn't give me all this love," she said as she gave them each kisses. She saw the youngest daughter, Ila, holding the purple doll. "Ah, so you got Naanii's present?"

They nodded and started telling her all about how they were doing in school, that they got a puppy, what friends they had at the moment and about their lives in general. She missed hearing children talk. She would sometimes spend hours talking to each of her children while she played games with them, or in her daughter's case, played with their hair. Each child and grandchild received equal amounts of love and attention.

Leah listened attentively until Sabine cleared her throat. "We must get going. Our plane will be leaving in the morning. When do you leave?" she asked, knowing Leah wouldn't stay in one place for very long.

"Tonight. I'm headed for Tangier."


	5. Chapter 5

The prisoner was in a precarious situation. He was trussed up with great skill. His arms were tied uncomfortably behind his back, and he was stuck balancing on his bare knees on top of sand paper and glass. Abishag smiled from her perch only a few feet away. She was savoring the taste of her lovely peach schnapps and then spitting it out onto her little prisoner. He was a young male Barabbite that asked her out. After date three, he made his move, trying to cut her throat after a chaste goodnight kiss. If only he knew what he'd gotten himself into. It was like watching a moth getting stuck in a silvery spider web. She pumped half a syringe full of tainted blood into his system. It was just enough to knock him out so she could drag him to her cellar and get him set up. By the time he woke up, Abishag had taken a nice long bath and gotten comfortable for the evening.

"Comfortable?" Ashibag asked in amusement.

The prisoner managed a hiss and bearing of fangs. He glanced down warily before settling. The vampire's head was being held under a makeshift guillotine that would trigger if he moved too much.

"What are you going to do?"

Abishag laughed when the man shuddered. His whole body was probably sore. Before she set him up in her execution device, she beat him to a gory pulp. His eye was just beginning to reform in its socket where it belonged. His knees were oozing blood, and his pretty thin lip was split down to his chin. That one was slowly healing too.

"I'm waiting for you to talk."

His gaze hardened. "About?"

"Oh, lots. Let's see, what do you know about your Alpha?"

"I ain't talking to you, slut."

"What about the Collectors' new farming business?"

"What?"

"Never mind. How long have you been infected?"

"You mean evolved?"

"No, I mean infected." She dragged her chair closer, making it screech against the floor loudly.

"I evolved," he snapped. "I'm a level up on the food chain, baby. Ever since I got bitten, my life has been sex, drugs and no regrets when the sun comes out."

"Tch, typical. Your kind is nothing but animals. Demons." Abishag tipped the chair over. It clattered against the floor and came dangerously close to the trigger. The pupils of the vampire's eyes dilated in fear, and he shook, barely able to balance on his weakening knees any longer. Abishag noticed and walked around behind the prisoner, bare, polished feet padding across the concrete floor. "An animal's death then." A swift kick to the prisoner's ass sent him falling face first onto the trigger. As the blood splattered, Abishag frowned. She hadn't found anything. It was troubling, seeing as how the meeting was the next day.

* * *

Leah was sitting on one end of a ridiculously long table, ostracized from the rest of her species. There were thirty-nine other Nistarim in attendance. That meant there were only forty of them left. They were dangling by strands of thread now. She frowned as she looked at the others in attendance. The ones "in charge" were Abishag, Abel and David. Everyone after them was like Senators, and she was a leper. Sighing, she watched as the "leaders" walked in wearing their usual. All of them were members of some kind of church. Abishag was a Methodist music minister, Abel was a priest and David was a Baptist preacher.

Almost every Nistarim was involved in some kind of church. It was how they fed. The Nistarim fed off of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power it gave. A church was the best place to get a steady supply of it every week. Leah could remember what it felt like. When she would feed, it felt like she was being filled to the brim with warmth and a sense of peace. Now though, she was cursed to feed off of the very demons she killed. What did that make her then? A monster with good intentions? Not likely. Leah felt her stomach churn at the thought. She could remember a few of those monsters with good intentions: the Inquisition, the Holy Wars, the witch hunts.

"Alright," Abel said as he sat in his place at the head of the table. He fixed Leah with a glare before addressing everyone. "Let us begin, shall we? Methuselah, tell us about what you know, please. Out loud," he added with disdain. "Some of us cannot connect within the link," he said darkly as he stared at her.

"Very well," Methuselah began. He was a tubby man with a wedding ring. His wife was human and knew all about their duty, or...at least Leah thought she knew. Leah had been rather out of touch with the others for obvious reasons. "Fifty years ago, we began to see something strange in vampire victims that survived. In the heel of their foot, we would find this root with thorns. It stores blood for up to two days after death."

Leah hadn't seen this until she went to Tangier. When she found Adam and Eve's nest, she also found their blood bank of sorts. She threw up in horror before burning the place to the ground. It was after the victims were dead that she realized something: the agony of the world she constantly felt suddenly lightened. It was slight, but it was still noticeable. Leah shifted in her seat as she gingerly touched her wound. It was scabbing, and it itched like crazy. Her hand was still numb too. She tuned herself back in after a while, hoping Methuselah was a little further along. He had the habit of being too detailed. The Nistarim joked that that was why God allowed him to live for so long. He could never get anything done.

"We found Lilith's base of operations in Paris and destroyed it. Based upon everyone's accounts, the weight of the sorrows was a little lighter, meaning they’re likely using this method on purpose to wear us down.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Why would they do such a thing?" Joseph inquired from his chair. “Do they not know what will happen?”

As if on cue, a six year old girl blasted through the doors, literally. Everyone went silent and stock still. No one had ever had the audacity to blow up the door just to get inside. The girl was a Dragulian, and she smelled old...like almost six centuries old. Leah drew her weapon and was about to shoot until she saw a laptop under her arm. Like everyone else who was likely fishing out their weapons, albeit a little more discreetly, was stilled by curiosity.

The little child laughed and came to stand in between Leah and the other Nistarim. It was the only open space available. "Woah, woah. Non sparare al messaggero," (Don't shoot the messenger) she smiled. She was an Italian then judging by the accent and language she spoke. Dragulia were known for their massive canines, and this girl was no exception.

"What is your purpose?" Japeth snapped as he cautiously sat down his rifle.

"Sona contenta che hai chiesto. Ognuno ascolta attentamente. Il mio padrone è un messaggio importante." (I'm glad you asked. Everyone listen carefully. My master has an important message)

Leah's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

As soon as the child set up the laptop, she used Skype to message her "master." As soon as the audio came on, they could hear someone screaming in the background. When Nistarim could see or hear suffering, the pain they felt became much more intense because it was in the forefront of the mind. Leah was nearly doubled over as her vision began to blur while everyone else looked like they had a hangover. Whoever it was was screaming for help and mercy; it made Leah wince in both pain and empathy. The screen was black.

"I can't see anything, dammit. I fucking hate technology." The screen popped to life, revealing a familiar face: Yoshima Kazigire. He was the vampire that helped move along the proceedings that led to Pearl Harbor. "Ah, there we go. Hello, everyone." The image changed, showing a room of sick carnage and torture. There were body parts and entrails scattered all over the floors and walls. The man he was torturing was getting a lobotomy. A very slow lobotomy. Leah clutched her chair as the pain intensified and her gorge began to rise.

Abishag was scowling. "Hello, Kazigire."

"As you can see, I'm doing rather well. Thank you for asking. Ah, miss Leah. How is that injury healing up? Sorry my colleagues couldn't do better at killing you in Israel. But it's good to see you again."

Leah growled and glared at the screen. If she could, she would rip him apart, let him heal and then blow him up before killing him for real and then feeding his remains to pigeons. She touched her injury and smiled darkly at the screen. "It's good to see you as well. I was starting to wonder if someone beat me to it."

"To what?"

"Sending you to Sheol."

"Oh yes, you're so original," he said sarcastically.

"What do you want?" David asked calmly before looking at her from the corner of his eye like a parent does a child. He was one of the more subdued "leaders" among the Nistarim and one of the ones who actually didn't loathe her because he had been in the same boat during his time as a mortal. "What is the purpose behind this carnage you’ve brought?"

"That's a dumb question. Especially coming from you. Simply put, we vampires want a total absence of purpose. We want the End of Days." The video showed the man from before being eaten alive via a root in his foot while electricity was shot through his skull. His screams were turned into grunts as his body seized.

"You're all mad," Abishag snapped. “This plague has devoured your minds as well as your souls.”

"My, my, did you just question my sanity? Let me ask you something. If your God allowed all the evil in the world and my kind to exist, then isn't he as mad as I?"

David actually locked his jaw on that one. He was one of the closest with God. Some things just never changed. In fact, all of the Nistarim saw red at that moment. Leah had been seeing red for a while, but her red definitely intensified. No vampire bad mouthed God to the Nistarim if they wanted to see another moon.

"What stupidity. You had no qualms killing my fledgling did you Abishag?" he frowned then. "I fucking dare every last one of you to challenge me...no, better yet, I dare you to stop me!"

Leah started laughing. Everyone went quiet as she laughed for a good thirty seconds. "So, a declaration of war, is it? Child, you've just opened Heaven's gate. The wrath of God is upon you. The warriors are beginning the charge."

Abel scoffed. "You have no right to say what God's wrath is. You know nothing."

Leah frowned and lifted her gun. She used her full strength to bash the little girl's teeth in before fitting her muzzle into her mouth and shooting. Blood, skull and brain flew from the back of her brown-haired head before she dropped to the floor. Leah started shooting the laptop until it was nothing but a pile of bits and pieces of what was once there. She wasted an entire cartridge.

Leah stood and bowed deeply. "If you'd all excuse me, I have a flight to Russia to catch. I wish you all the best. Lehitraot."


	6. Chapter 6

_The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”_

_…”It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it; if you do, you will die.’”_

_“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”_

_The woman...saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves._

_When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”_

_He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”_

_…The Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”_

_The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”_

_Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”_

_“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”_

_Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “…You are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust…And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth...” And to the man he said, “Since you…ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed…All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made.”_

_Then…Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to...the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3)_

* * *

Adam was sitting under the stars with Methuselah, a dear friend. It was turning out like this almost every night. This was the third night in a row that he woke on the verge of total hysteria. He was shaking so badly he could hardly get out of his home to come to the spot where he now sat. It was the best spot in the land Adam believed because it was on the lip of a valley. He could see everything. If he tried hard enough, he could almost fool himself into thinking he was still in the Garden. Methuselah was usually up and around at this point. The old dog was hard to keep down even when it came to something as necessary as sleep. It calmed him to have someone talk to him who didn't give him a look of disdain. Adam already knew what he'd done wrong and didn’t need others scorning him for it.

"Adam, old friend," Methuselah said. "Tell me once more...about the Garden."

Adam shut his eyes. If he thought hard enough, he could still remember some of it clearly enough. As he told the story, he could remember the angels with their white skin and green eyes...and their wings were glorious. They were massive and white, but they had a green shimmer when they walked in the sunlight. The tree trunks were made from all different colors, and each had an inner light that pulsed. Each pulse was unique to each tree like a heartbeat. The animals were large and kind, but most of all, they were curious. Like him. When he looked up into the sky, he could see thousands of heavenly bodies and clusters of stars being born every minute. The waters were emerald green; everything touched by the Father was green.

Adam winced at that thought. Barely anything was green anymore. Not even Adam's eyes held that glorious green color after…what he did. After what he and Eve did, everything became lackluster and dull. The entire world was like a reminder that he had failed. He failed every human in existence; he failed the very Creator he loved for something as foolish as wanting to be like God. He wished he would’ve waited like God had told him, but it was too late now.

* * *

Adam and Eve were walking hand-in-hand through the Garden, enjoying the Sun and it's precious warmth. They had just finished walking with the Father. He walked among them in the form of a young child with white hair and skin and had the most intense green eyes he'd ever seen. Every time Adam looked into them, he was bathed in God's great love. As they walked, they passed the two Trees of great power. Adam stopped, letting his hand fall from Eve's when he saw something unusual.

"What’s wrong, beloved husband?"

"There's...something in the Tree of All-Knowledge," he said, allowing his feet to guide him towards it.

"Is that bad?"

"The animals don't go near it. Ever."

The snake within the Tree’s branches was an off-white and yellowish color, and it had large black and yellow eyes. The eyes startled Adam, making an ill, churning feeling appear in his stomach. The only eye color he’d ever seen was green. Eve grabbed his hand then, she was also looking at the creature. She looked like he felt. She tried to tug him away, but his feet wouldn't move. Something was wrong. He couldn't think of a name for the creature. Usually, all he had to do was glance at a creature, and the name would appear to him.

Adam looked to his left and saw a large animal covered in fur. It had a long, sleek body covered with muscle, and it had a massive circle of hair around its massive head. It had a female and young ones with it as well. The name immediately came to mind: Panthera Leo. So...it wasn't him. It was the creature. Adam turned and jumped back, it was face-to-face with him.

"Hello, Eve," it purred as its spindly legs inched it closer. "Firssstborn. It'sssss good to finally ssseeee you for mysssself."

Adam looked over at his wife, and they both stepped closer in curiosity. Animals didn't have voices like they did.

"Why are you in that Tree?" Adam asked.

"What'ssss wrong with thissss tree? It'sss like all the othersssss."

"Yahweh told us that this Tree was unique. We can't even eat from it," Eve answered. “God said, ‘You must not eat it; if you do, you will die.’"

The snake's voice suddenly became like many voices coming from one mouth. It sent foreboding chills up Adam's spine. "You won't die, ssssilly humanssss. God issss afraid, you sssee. He knowsss that your eyesss will be opened as sssoon as you eat it, and you'll become like Him. He doessssn't want you to be like Him. He's sssselfish."

Adam paused. He had always wanted to know everything the Father knew. He always told Adam that everything would come in time, but Adam wanted to learn. He and Eve looked at each other, and they saw the same thought in each other’s eyes. One bite surely wouldn't kill them. One nibble...that would be it. Not even a mouthful. Adam pulled an apple from the Tree and offered it up to Eve first. She smiled at his chivalry and took a small bite before offering it to Adam.

* * *

After Adam told his story, he looked over to find Methuselah asleep. Adam snorted and looked up at the stars. Now all he could see was black with little speckles of white. He missed seeing those mighty planets that gave off feelings of great power and eminence. He sighed and recalled his dream.

It would start with the Garden, walking with God, but it was different in the dream. In the dream, he couldn't see God's face. Then he'd be at the Trees, and the serpent would be waiting. It would then become a massive angel. Its wings were singed and had a reddish black sheen. He was grey skinned like ash and had short black hair and large black and gold eyes. He was an eerily beautiful creature. Then he'd be in a familiar cave only a short distance from Adam's home. The creature would be there, and it would purr at him.

"Come, Firstborn. Come and be made anew. Regain what you have lost.”

He'd wake up in the middle of the night, unable to move, with that creature standing in the corner of the bedchamber – doing nothing but staring, his glittering eyes seeming large and eerie in the darkness. The worst ones were when he woke up and it was kneeling atop his chest, grinning at him, trapping him, stealing the air from his lungs and all movement from his body. Rigid, unable to move in the darkness, he would begin to cry. Its hands were ice cold, running over his legs, his chest, his arms, black talons scratching against his skin. Then it was there, right there, inches from his face, grinning at him, grinding his teeth so hard Adam could hear it. And the eyes, oh, the eyes, were fixed upon him, black and glittering like a beast in the dark.

Adam needed to go to that cave.

If he went there, surely the dreams would cease. He stood and walked the familiar path through the fields, past the livestock and into the mouth of the cave. The cave was alight with flame, making the cave appear to be the mouth of the mighty carcaradon megalodon. And there was the creature, near a small stream that led out of the cave. Adam froze and watched as it grinned and walked into the water, making it turn eerily black and making steam rise up.

"Hello, Adam," it said in a soothing voice. "It's been quite some time."

Adam gulped, feeling himself being pulled in by its voice and those eerie eyes that seemed to engulf him in nothingness. "W-What is it you want? Why do you appear to me in my dreams?"

"Because I can offer you what God took away," it crooned as it stepped towards a silver rock. It took something off of it. That fruit. He recognized that fruit! It was the fruit of the Tree of Life.

Adam tensed. "Where did you get that?"

"The Garden, of course."

"No man can pass through there."

"I know," it cackled to itself from behind a clawed hand. "Do you know why you can't go in the Garden?"

"God...He's protecting us. From eternal suffering."

"No, He's punishing you by making you mortal," he said calmly. "Wouldn't you like to live forever again? Never know the cold grasp of Death?"

"Y-Yes...I would."

"Of course. Here," it offered out the fruit in its hand. "No one would blame you for doing this, Firstborn. You deserve to live as an immortal testament of God’s creation. Yes?"

Adam nodded. He did deserve it. He deserved to watch all the people who scorned him die while he lived on. Without hesitation, he bit into the fruit. It was bland and was mostly water. As soon as he swallowed though, he felt his belly fill, then he began to vomit up black water. His eyes and pores began to leak as well. Adam was gasping and trying to grab at the creature, trying to tell it to stop this madness, but it was gone. He fell onto the cold cave floor and slowly lost consciousness. The last thought he had was given to his Father: God, what have I done to deserve this much pain? What have I done? I have failed again.

* * *

Adam woke with a splitting headache as he woke on the floor of the cave. Morning light from outside shone in, making his eyes burn like fire. He looked around through squinted eyes and tried to find the creature. It was gone. So were the rest of the fruit and the black water that seemed to ooze from him like blood from a wound. He realized he didn't feel as achy as usual. He dragged himself to the stream and looked at his reflection. He was a young man again! Adam groaned as he sat up, and then it hit him. There was an intense smell of iron that wafted through the air. It smelled heavenly and made his mouth water. It smelled even better than Eve's delicious cooking. Then he realized something: he was hungry. He needed to find the source of that smell. He needed to consume it, let it trickle down his throat. He needed it like he needed air. He’d never felt this hungry before. It was all he could think about.

Despite the sunlight's painful affects, Adam walked out of the cave and followed his nose. It actually led him to his own home. Perhaps Eve was preparing something new for their daylight meal. Adam felt his teeth shift under his gums, but he was too hungry to give it any thought other than that it was slightly uncomfortable. He walked inside and frowned when he noticed the kitchen was empty. He went on to search for that smell and found it in his bedchamber where his wife was still resting. Adam felt his mouth fill with saliva at the sight of her. He could hear her heart beating calmly, and he could see a vein in her leg pumping thick, red blood. It was calling to him like a harmonious song.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was sinking his teeth into her thigh. He could feel hot blood spew into his mouth and across the sheets. Eve screamed as she woke, and Adam snarled, still latched to her leg. He covered her mouth with his hand and continued to feed, feeling almost as euphoric as he did when he ate the fruit of the Garden. He moaned and rutted against the cot as Eve slowly struggled less and less. When Adam pulled away, she was cool and lifeless. He looked up and saw lifeless eyes frozen in terror looking back at him. There were tears on her cheeks.

A barrage of the senses overcame him then. His ears could hear the sheep and goats chewing grass and digesting. He could smell Methuselah and his young son Laban a few miles away. His eyes could count every strand of thread on their blanket underneath him, now stained with blood. Tears filled Adam's vision. What had he done?! He just murdered his wife! His love! He drained her of her life blood like a filthy animal. No…he was worse than an animal. Blind fury took over him as he growled and clutched his head. Too much. Too much. Minutes later, he was ripping his home to shreds, weeping and raging like some great cat.

He had to leave. He couldn't stay there. Not anymore. He couldn’t risk killing anyone else.


	7. Chapter 7

Leah hated this part of the job more than being shot or even stabbed. She loathed the hours spent cooped up within the confines of a vehicle no matter how comfortable her Hummer may have been. She shifted her weight in an attempt to ease her growing discomfort. The wound in her chest made her grimace with pain at its irritability. Why did they have to choose Russia during the winter of all places? It made her injuries act up. It made her irritable. Her blood wasn’t thick enough for this sort of weather. This was the fifth night she spent freezing herself in her car across the street from the nest. All she could do was wait. She hated waiting. Both of her lives were consumed by endless waiting.

A light illuminated the interior hallway of the house, making Leah sit up a little straighter. She glanced at the clock on the dash, making a mental note of the time. A shadowy figure appeared silhouetted against the glass of the door. Her pulse quickened when she recognized the outline: Adam. His was a familiar form, almost as recognizable as her own. Endless centuries of observing someone's movements usually resulted in beginning to know every intimate detail of their body. The figure hovered for a few minutes in the hallway. A telephone call maybe? Leah knew from past surveillance the exact position of the hall table on which the phone sat. Based on this knowledge, a phone call was entirely plausible. Her mind wandered. Who was on the other end of the line? Was it one of the other Alphas? Were they arranging to meet somewhere nearby? Maybe this was the call that would finally provide the breakthrough she needed in killing Adam…in killing all the vampires.

The light disappeared as quickly as it appeared, closely followed by the arrival of another, this time upstairs. The large bay window of the front bedroom had thick velvet curtains that blocked the world outside. Whatever was happening behind the veil remained a mystery. Time passed slowly and still she waited. She watched as Adam and Eve got into a Pinto. As it pulled out and approached her, she gingerly lowered herself in her seat to avoid detection. Her wounds seemed to scream at her in protest. Part of her wanted to chase them down and kill them right then, but she needed to search the house first for any sort of surviving victims though that was unlikely. Patience wasn't one of her stronger virtues.

As soon as the car turned a corner, Leah began getting her things ready. Wood bullets? Check. Matches and gasoline? Check. Knife? Check. Syringes filled with dead man's blood and tainted blood? Check and check. Fur lined coat and slippers? Check. She got out of the car quietly and walked across the street and up the steps to the front door. She quietly wiggled the doorknob. Locked. She looked around before pulling out her lock picking kit and kneeling in front of the door. When she heard the tell-tale click, she stood and opened the door before stepping inside. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her quietly. She pulled out her gun and slowly began to search the rooms. As usual there was junk everywhere. Leah snorted. Those two were like pack rats. Leah began leafing through some things before moving on to the upstairs portion of the house. She couldn't find a food source anywhere, but she could feel it.

Leah was about to give up when she remembered that they kept their food in a cellar last time. She slipped into the back yard, but there was no cellar. Damn it. She walked back inside and was heading for the front door when she heard it. A groan. It sent chills down Leah's spine and caused her teeth to ache. She found a door under the stairwell that led to a basement. She honestly wasn't ready for what she saw down there. There were at least fifty people within the tangled brambles. Limbs stuck out like a kindergarten art project from hell. When Leah saw the hand of a little girl, she started heaving as she felt the weight of the pain begin pressing on her. She could barely breathe. Honestly, that wasn't the worst part. In the end, it wasn't the sight of a little girl's hand nor the smell of fresh blood that hung heavily at the back of her throat. She wasn’t even that bothered by the single bare bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling. No, what finally did Leah in was the schoolbag in the corner of the room, sitting crookedly in amongst a pile of other belongings like suitcases, watches and purses. It was bright and colorful, with neon yellow straps and pink hearts dotting the fabric. In a room full of darkness and blood and pain and the irrepressible sense of death, the sheer innocence of it was like a twisted omen.

Tears began to prick her eyes, but Leah soldiered on ahead and forced them back. She could cry later. Now, she had a job to finish. She reached for the little girl's hand and gingerly took it in her own. It was chilled. The hand squeezed her own on reflex, and the man on the end whose head was sticking out groaned. Leah checked each one along the wall before she started painting the room with gasoline. These people couldn't be saved. She would end their misery quickly.

* * *

 

Something was wrong.

Adam felt apprehensive as he raced up to the door with Eve and Raphael. They were only gone for an hour to pick up the Dragulian from the airport. Eve insisted they show her social media friend their new way for storing blood. Adam was jokingly calling her a black missionary with all her preaching about the new blood storing methods. She didn't find it that amusing. Adam went to unlock the door, but the door opened when he twisted the knob. The other two sensed the danger now, choosing silence over their idle prattling. They split up, searching each room for the culprit. They were a hive mind, a swarm of three.

That's when she showed herself. She came up from the basement with most of her flesh and clothes burned away. Leah. The glow of fire lit up the house as she opened and shut the door. Smoke billowed out and there was an intense heat and smell of burning gasoline. There went their food source. Bitch. All three of them watched as her skin and muscle reformed on her skeleton. With a skeleton finger, she pushed a section of singed hair out of her reforming eyes.

When her nose was restructured, she finally noticed she was surrounded. Without a second thought, she pulled out a gun. Adam could smell the wood and jumped back as she shot off an entire clip in his specific direction, reloaded and started shooting again. Shit. Raphael pulled out a gun and fired from the sitting room. While she was distracted, Adam was quick to gather Eve close to him before returning to the stairwell to protect her. Shots rang out from Leah's position, and Raphael dropped. Crucifix bullets. Fuck. She came prepared for a fight.

Adam covered Eve further when he felt her flinch. Unlike Adam, Eve wasn't used to seeing the deaths of their own kind. Eve had been born in a time of sickness, and she thought she had been saved when her sire bit her. She often tried not to think about how vulnerable she really was. Adam, however, seemed to witness such death wherever he went. Even before his change, he felt death more closely than he ever felt life.

Eve spotted it first, jumped in front of the bullet meant for Adam. She went down hard, the thud of her body audible over the rapid fire of gunshots. Adam was able to dodge the rest of Leah's clip as he caught Eve to avoid her falling down the stairs. He rushed up to the second floor and shut every door before jumping out the window and getting into the Pinto. He turned Eve around in his arms and pulled away her blouse, sighing in relief when he saw that the wound was non-fatal. It hit her shoulder. The air felt less dangerous. He relaxed, just a little and drove the car out onto the street. Violence had found them, but again they had won. He felt strong. Maybe near invincible. Despite the hunger, the running, the lack of sleep – it didn't matter right now. It wasn't even a memory, it wasn't now and therefore it just wasn't.

When Eve came to, Adam had checked them into an extravagant hotel. While she rested, he gluttonously fed from a Blood bank with very weak security. He fed her from his own veins and lavished her in love once her wound sealed up good as new. There wasn't even a scar. Without realizing it, Adam had been crying. He was so consumed by relief. His beloved was safe. If he lost her…his life would be completely meaningless. She was awake and very much alive. They could relax and find a new place to live. They would survive. They were strong.

Adam smiled at her as he watched her take in the beauty of the Moscow night. Her skin was like silver and her hair like strands of spider silk. She wore a fluffy cotton robe too big and too white for her, but she was still the most beautiful thing in the world. He stood to go to her with a soft smile on his face. He wanted to embrace her, to feel her cool skin pressed against her own.

There was flash of light several yards away, and then a crack ripped through the air, tearing a path through the sky, through Eve's chest and then into the wall beside Adam's head. He felt the blood spatter on his face and was unsure if he was hurt or not. His face was hot, he smelled blood. Now, now of all times he was scared. Not for himself, but because he didn't want to deal with what lay before him. Because it might be real. Because he didn't know what to do next. His lungs, rib cage, entire body started one big inhale that kept expanding, pushing out, increasing. He felt it, but couldn't stop it. Terrified that what came out would be a wail, a scream, a howl. The expanding inhale deflated, and his chest caved in the opposite direction, his stomach touching his spine. He was afraid he wasn't breathing. He was frozen in place, eyes searching the skyline. Adam could feel his heart. It was vibrating around in various locations in his chest like angry hornets searching for a way out.

He looked down at Eve. He screamed her name and pulled her into his arms. She was dying. “Eve, Eve please. You can’t leave me. I-I can’t survive without you.”

She smiled as blood oozed from the corner of those beautiful lips. “Oh Adam,” she weakly lifted her hand to caress his face. “It’ll be okay.

“Tell me one last time…tell me about entanglement. Einstein's spooky action at a distance,” she said hoarsely. “I’m tired, and I want to go to bed.”

“Eve please, love, you-“

“Don’t feel bad for me, I want you to know: that deep in the cell of my heart, I really want to go. I’d rather take a thousand bullets for you, darling.”

He stifled a sob. “T-The least I can do…is tell you about spooky action at a distance. When you separate an entwined particle and you move both parts away from the other, even at opposite ends of the universe, if you alter or affect one, the other will be identically altered or affected.”

“There you go,” she said as her eyes drooped. “See? We won’t really be apart. Be strong my love. For me.” Her eyes shut and she went lax.

“Eve? Eve?...Eve?! Don’t do this! Not again!”

It occurred to him that he should have pulled back to cover. But there had been plenty of time for another shot. Leah either meant to hit Eve or she only had one wood bullet left for that type of sniper rifle. Adam knew her well; it was more than likely the latter. He looked at Eve, touching her smooth, perfect skin with reverence. She looked so relaxed and calm as if she were only resting her eyes. He began to scream. To sob.

He would kill her. He would fucking kill that bitch Leah.


	8. Chapter 8

Leah stared down at her new driver’s license: Mei-Xiang. She laughed out loud at that one. An Israeli woman with a Chinese name living in Japan. Laughable. Hysterical. It was like the Nistarim wanted her to get caught. It was just one of the many things that had changed in the past week. Her entire exsistence had all been erased using a computer program that was able to wipe out all traces of anyone they wanted. Gone was her life in the city she had adored since she was born both times. All of it was gone, snatched from her in a single instance because of a rookie mistake.

* * *

 

Eve stepped onto the balcony outside one of the penthouse rooms of a historical hotel on the Moscow skyline. Adam was laying in the bed. When he went to get up, Leah aimed and put her finger on the trigger. She had Eve in the crosshairs and if she timed it right, she could get both of them with her only bullet. It was her last wood bullet available. Needless to say, Leah had been hitting the Adamites hard, and since her supplier was in America and she was usually out of the country, it made things a bit hard on her. Leah took a deep breath and looked through the sight. The wind picked up suddenly so Leah waited, but then she felt something that made her jump. A cat was walking over her calf. Her finger pulled the trigger. Shit!

Neither Eve nor Adam saw the bullet enter and leave her chest. Leah watched in shock and horror as the bullet lodged just past Adam's big head. She watched Eve fall, and then she watched Adam turn into a mess of rage, misery and instinct. That was the true nature of the Collectors. This was bad. You never ever killed just one vampire in a mate’s pair. You had to kill both of them or else they'd hunt you down. Now Leah had a very pissed and powerful Alpha out for blood.

She shifted away from the weapon positioned over the concrete lip and slowly rose from her stomach, brushing dust and grit from her clothing. She had to move quickly. Adam had her scent from multiple past experiences, and vampires could never forget a scent. If she was lucky, she could get to the airport before he could find the building she shot from. She packed up her rifle in a long, slim case then packed it into a duffle bag and slung it over one shoulder.

With practiced ease she jumped off the roof, landing in a crouch that caused her femurs to crack. Once healed, she strode with purpose down a dimly lit street, counting her steps inside her head; at 104, she took a sharp right down another street then a sharp left. Ah, there was her car. It was parked in a quiet alley. Time to leave.

* * *

 

Leah could feel the lump building in her throat, but she swallowed it. It was the chance of a lifetime, and she fucked it up royally, but she would not cry. One of the things she had always prided herself on was not crying. Her time as Jacob's wife taught her that crying was a sign of weakness, and she had carried that perception with her into her new life. Some parts of her wondered why she bothered to hold on to any part of her previous ideology. After all, this was her second chance at life. She fucked that up too as soon as she let her passions get the best of her that night in Paris.

Leah threw the driver’s license on the small dining table. She knew what else was bothering her. This time around she had no one. She called every single one of the Nistarim, but none of them would help her. She was alone just like a David said she would be. It was her life that was being threatened, and her world that was being torn apart on the whim of an Alpha vampire that had lost it. The worst part was there was absolutely nothing she could do. There was nothing no one would do.

When she had called David, she had been presented with a choice between two options: go deep and live or don't and almost certainly be dead within the week. She had chosen the first option, but now, she wasn't so sure that she had chosen the better option. It was a horrible thought, and she knew it, but it occurred to her more than once that death must surely be better than this.

Suddenly the feeling of all the sorrow of the world coupled with her own feelings of hopelessness came crashing down on her as she collapsed on the dingy hotel bed. The lump began to build in her throat again, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. She tried to fight them back as she had done for so many years, but it was no use. Finally the tears broke free and began to cascade unchecked down her cheeks.

* * *

 

Adam had to admit, he was surprised to see all of the Alphas--or at least the surviving ones--sitting at the stone table. Adam organized the meeting to be at Vladislava's mansion in Ukraine. It was about time the Alphas met up and had a discussion. The last time they did this was...well, when Cain died during the witch trials. One of those fucking Nistarim bastards got crafty enough to use people to kill him. No one else would've known that he could be killed with flames. Adam watched as a struggling girl was tied to the table, and her wrist was slit, allowing blood to drip into grooves in the table that would drop into wine glasses when the stopper was removed. Adam looked across the table at Lilith, his first bride, who was staring at him with cold, dark eyes and a cruel smile.

"Care for a glass, Adam?" Vladislava asked. "You look like you could use it. You look so ashy and," she giggled. "Dead."

Adam only held out his hand and took the glass when she handed it to him. He sighed when he stirred it with his pinkie. Still so warm. He licked his pinkie clean and purred as he watched the others sit and sip at their own glasses.

"Adam, darling," Lilith blurted, pulling her red hair over her shoulder to emphasize her bloodstained lips. "I heard about your mate. Eve, wasn't it? It's a real shame."

Adam growled and locked his jaw. "Fuck you, bitch."

"Lilith," Jezebel snapped as she picked at her nails. "Piss off. We all know you're still fucking pissed that God gave Adam Eve after you decided to go AWOL."

"That misogynist bastard," Lilith frowned. "I still can't see why you had to be first."

Jezebel snorted. “Because God knew what a fuck up you’d be.”

"Again," Adam snapped. "Fuck. Off."

Judas cleared his throat as Barabbas continued to get refills on his blood no matter how much Vladislava put in the damn glass. Adam watched with both amusement and derision. He was worse than Ava. "So, is this a friendly visit or a business meeting? Because if this is just a shitty reunion, I have other places to be."

"Business. You know I wouldn't organize this otherwise. You all know I hate you."

"Oh, Adam," Vladislava pouted. "That's so cruel."

"I called you here because I'm going after one of the Nistarim. I need a khopesh."

Silence followed.

"Which Nistarim?" Barabbas said suddenly.

"Leah."

Lilith smirked. "Why? Wouldn't give you any more of that delicious ass of hers?"

"Because she’s the one that killed my mate."

Judas' jaw clenched. "And you think you can get her? She's one of the harder ones to catch seeing as she has to feed off us. She has more experience."

"I won't disappoint," Adam snapped, his voice becoming tense.

"Oh, what the hell," Lilith sighed and snapped. “I’m feeling whimsical.”

Her attendant came forward with a case, and Lilith put on a pair of diamond encrusted glasses that probably cost as much as the mansion they were sitting in if not more. She didn't even need the fucking things; they were pointless. All she wore them for was the bloody fashion statement. Talk about being vain. She opened the case, and there it was. The cursed black khopesh. Adam was one of the first to wield it. It was like what the zombies called "roid rage." It was intense and fucked up, and it would be so fun killing Leah with it. He'd bleed her dry first; he always wanted to taste Nistarim. Then he'd slowly gut her while hanging her up like a deer. He could practically smell her flesh burning. He smirked. Maybe he'd screw her first. Give her a bit of good to go with all the bad.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Lilith said, sliding the khopesh over. "Wear gloves to keep the rage-"

"I know. Later."


	9. Chapter 9

Lately, Leah had taken a liking to wandering around the cold and slightly creepy catacombs underneath the streets of Paris. She couldn't explain what drew her to the solitary and unfriendly part of the city. She just found a peace of mind in the absolute silence. There, she finally seemed to have enough room for her thoughts. It wasn't that she didn't like her own chambers, but it was too easy for people to bother her. She was playing the role of kindly physician, so she got requests at all hours of the evening. In the catacombs, there were no distractions. Just like she had done for a few nights in a row now, Leah had taken an old book with her, lit the torches in the largest chamber and settled comfortably on the floor next to a skull with a few teeth missing. She was just tracing some of the ancient Hebrew script with her finger when a loud banging noise followed by a ferocious yell echoed down the staircase and made her start so badly the book fell from her lap.

"Leah! I know you're down here, you cunt! I'll fucking kill you, you hear me!"

Leah rolled her eyes. She really didn't think it was as big a deal as he made it sound.

"I was supposed to join that girl for supper and then take her out in the garden. You know damn well how long I've been watching her!"

Leah inched towards the doorway when she heard him stalking in her direction. He looked livid. It was his fault for trying to feed from a human in a city under her watch. Of all the vampires, Leah knew Adam the best. Ever since her awakening they seemed to meet and clash at every turn. Leah couldn't help but notice how his hair was pulled back and his shirt was slightly untied. She could see his chest, and it made her bite her lip. Leah licked her lips as she watched him hunt through a chamber. She saw the curve of his backside and blushed slightly. She couldn't be thinking about that! He was the enemy! Enemy, damn him!

"Pity," she hissed and slipped through the door.

Adam spun around, and it would have been too late if it weren't for Leah's long green dress that caught on steel of the door. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it gave her opponent all the chance he needed to stretch out his arm and catch her by the neck. An unpleasant jolt of panic surged through her. When Adam turned her so they were face to face, Leah found herself dangerously close to wincing. Adam's expression was nothing short of murderous.

"Nice to see you again." He shoved her into the wall, making the stone crack. "Now, as you know, I'm going to have to punish you. Severely. Oh don't worry, I can't kill you, but I'll make you regret crossing my path until I can get my hands on a black khopesh. Then I'll be busy killing you."

The greatest misfortune in being a smart mouth intellectual with a clever answer to everything was that you couldn't keep your mouth shut. "Maybe you should just fuck me," she snorted. She clamped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened. A long, pressured silence followed.

Leah felt the grip around her arms tighten, and then, without a warning, Adam threw her. She smacked against the wall hard enough to bust her head open along the hairline and fell to the floor with a yelp. When she could finally catch her breath and she'd healed, Leah went for a stake in her skirts to do him in. Missing. She reached for the vial of deadman's blood. Gone.

"Looking for these?"

Leah turned to see him holding the stake and vial. He threw the vial on the ground and tossed the stake down the corridor. Still a little ruffled after the impact with the wall, Leah couldn't react fast enough, and Adam captured both her wrists in one large fist and lifted her arms over her head. Now Leah was getting nervous. With his free right hand, the Collector tore away Leah's cloak and then moved to her bodice.

Leah froze. "What are you doing? Adam? You can't possibly be thinking- Adam, are you insane?! We hate each other! Damn it!" The bodice came off, and when she tried to kick him, a hand gripped her neck and pushed her onto her back. Leah could feel the nails sink into her skin.

"You're pretty. I'm not picky. My problem's solved. Like you said, I can just do you."

Leah blushed but didn't dare say another word. If she just stayed quiet, he'd leave her alone.

His hand let go of her hair and instead moved down between her breasts which he fondled for a long while and down her stomach. The hand caressed her thighs surprisingly gently. Leah flinched slightly, and Adam gave her thigh a warning squeeze as he knelt himself between her legs and started to trace small circles with his thumb over her cheek. Leah was shivering with the unwelcome sense that Adam's touch didn't actually feel so bad. She tried to push that thought away, and then every other thought was erased from her mind when Adam's hand slid over her hip and to her front while cold fingers burned her abdomen on their way. At the same time, the Collector pressed against her, and though his pants were still on, Leah had no difficulty feeling a large hardness against her hip. And to her eternal shame, she found herself getting aroused too. Leah blushed when his nose flared and he let out a surprised, breathy gasp before grinding himself against her. Leah bit her lip so hard she could taste her own blood.

With one hand, Adam hurriedly ripped his pants halfway off and freed his aching erection. Leah blushed and her eyebrow rose despite itself. Apparently he fed before finding her. He pushed her skirt up, and the sudden feeling of skin against skin made Leah moan and shiver from head to toe. She suddenly realized how deprived she'd been of skin contact. Even in her human life, she never received this type of touch except for when duty required it. If she ever made any sort of noise was frowned upon by her husband, Jacob. However, now Adam was kissing her. He was pushing his tongue into her mouth. He wasn't scoffing or stopping. Thank God, he wasn't stopping.

Then everything went absolutely hazy when Adam placed one of his fingers to Leah's entrance and started to push in, slowly but surely. Despite all her efforts against it, Leah yelled then. "Adam!" she gasped, not sure whether to tell him to stop or continue.

"Shhh." He was breathing heavily as he moved the finger back and forth. "I'll try not to hurt you." It was a rare sign of gentleness, especially for him, but Leah was too busy getting used to the finger inside her to notice. After a while, another finger was added. Then another. She was trembling all over.

Shiny drops of pre-cum were dripping from the tip of Adam's member. He removed his fingers and rubbed the slippery fluid all over his cock. He placed the tip against her, but she was so tight. A few thousand years of abstinence tended to have that effect. Then there was a hot, stimulating pressure of Adam grabbing her hips hard enough to make them crack and pushed himself inside, and everything turned white for a moment. When Leah slowly returned to her senses, all he could hear was Adam's moaning and incoherent rambling. "So good…oh…so...yeeeesss."

The large shaft was sliding inside her slowly at first but gaining faster rhythm when the movements became easier. The Collector was completely lost in the sensation of filling her again and again, of ravishing her on the floor of the cold, abandoned dungeon, of getting as deep as he possibly could, of sliding his sweaty hands all over the Nistarim's body…

And Leah loved it.

She would never admit it out loud. Never. But now that her body was getting used to it, she found herself drooling from pleasure. She was whining and gasping and pushing back against her enemy. "Adam!" she gasped yet again, "Harder! Please! Ah..."

When his thrusts became even more forceful, Leah started to moan with a voice so excited that she would have never thought she was even capable of it. There was still pain, but somehow it just highlighted the ecstasy. When Leah felt she would not last much longer, she gently grabbed Adam's icy wrist and guided the large hand to the center of her chest. Adam spread out his fingers and pulled her breasts out, sucking and biting at her skin without actually breaking it. Her pale hand stayed over his forearm. It was good, it was so good. She felt herself getting closer, thunder rumbling in her ears.

The orgasm hit with such a force that Leah's upper body jolted into an upright position and hit Adam's. The Collector, on the edge of his own release, pulled her tight against himself. With the tight muscles spasming around his cock and the Nistarim's scream in his ears, Adam buried his face in Leah's hair and came harder than ever. For a moment their voices mixed and echoed in the darkness. Then Leah went limp. She was so tired; it was like every drop of life had been sucked out of her. She could vaguely feel a headache coming on. She felt Adam pull himself out slowly, felt something warm dripping down her thighs, and blacked out.

* * *

 The sun was shining through Leah's bedroom window when she woke up the next morning. She was lying on her side and her quilt was draped over her still-clothed body. Although she didn't remember getting back home, she remembered what happened between her and Adam. She stopped breathing and tensed up like stone. What had she just done? She broke the Covenant. She had just eternally damned herself!

Then she felt it: the intense burden of every sorrow and pain on earth. It was different this time. It was like she could hear and feel every single person whose burden she carried. If she closed her eyes, she could almost make out the faces twisted in horrible suffering. She gasped and curled in on herself, clutching her head. She reached out to the other Nistarim through the link...but there was nothing. She reached out for God next. Again, there was no sign of Him. She felt something she hadn't felt for years: hunger. She felt drowsy and weak from it. She felt something odd brushing against her wrist and nearly screamed. There were two bone shards sliding out of her skin. What was happening to her?

_As long as you keep my Covenant..._

Oh no. She had committed the ultimate taboo among the Nistarim by breaking the Covenant of God. It wasn't that hard to follow either. Why then was she such a screw up?! Leah winced as she managed to roll over. The space next to her was empty. She sat up and listened. Nothing. She rose from her bed and changed into a cream changing gown. She opened the door to the sitting room, expecting to see him, but he wasn't there. She barely had time to slump down before the tears fell.

"That bastard used me," she hissed. He treated her like a whore. She gave him her heart unwittingly and her body knowingly. However, he gave her nothing in return. She pulled her hair out as she cried more. Now she had nothing. She just had this overwhelming sorrow and a hollow feeling in her chest. It was over; she had failed. She was alone.

When she heard banging on the door, she startled. "U-Un moment, s'il vous plait!" she called as she pulled on a new dress and opened the door. Oh no. David. "B-Bonjour, David. S'il vous plaît, venir à l'intérieur. C'est à froid, et vous serez malade." (Please, come inside. It's cold and you'll get sick.)

That was a lie. They just had to look normal. Leah waved to someone outside and yelled a brief greeting before retreating into her home again.

"Leah," he nodded briskly as he entered. He stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Leah...what happened?"

"How much do you know?" she asked as she stared off into nothingness.

"We know you've broken the Covenant by participating in pre-marital relations…with the Firstborn."

"I-I just got caught up in it, and I-" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, David."

David sighed and sat across from her. "Just because He's mad doesn't mean He hates you."

"You can still hear me?" she asked in surprise. She had been thinking that. If he could hear her, maybe there was hope.

"We all can. When we found out what happened, I'm the one that elected to speak with you. However, I doubt I can be any harder on you than you're being on yourself."

"Can I reverse this?"

He rubbed his face. "I'm afraid not. This is your price. You'll be ostracized from us and yet still one of us. Not unlike what Adam went through when he and Eve fell from grace."

Leah blanched at the thought. She had fallen…like Satan and Adam. She covered her mouth in horror and felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "What was it like…with Bathsheba? Was it like this? The regret?"

"Yes. I hated myself for what I'd done. I thought God had abandoned me. The sin followed my family for many generations. I never could forget it. But at the same time, I felt that God had forgiven me. He was always there waiting. He needed me. He didn't give up." David looked outside and stood slowly. He put an arm on her shoulder and patted it. "He has something planned." Then he was gone.

Fat lot of good that advice gave her for the right now.


	10. Chapter 10

When Leah finally got the all clear on her credit cards, ID and papers, she was beyond relieved. She decided to use her day to do some much needed shopping. She needed some shampoo, conditioner, soap, clothes and many more things like bedding, a table and maybe even a book or two...or five. She liked literature. Her father in her past life hadn't liked the idea of her learning to read. He thought it made her unapproachable. He was right sadly. Leah called a friend and was walking with her down the street. Her Japanese wasn't very good. Last time she was in Japan, she was smuggling out Christians in the Edo era.

"So? What do you need?" Satako asked in English. God bless her for it.

"I need shampoo and conditioner. How do you say that?"

"Shampoo and conditioner but in an accent."

"That's good. Two less words to learn."

"We also need to restock you refrigerator. I saw it. Empty. What do you eat?"

Leah shrugged, lying as easily as she breathed. "I'm eating mostly fruit and vegetables. Sometimes I buy eggs and maybe some chicken. Nothing fancy."

"So boring! I'll have to invite you over to have a hearty Japanese meal."

"Sounds great," Leah laughed but inside she tensed. She needed to change the subject before Satako tried to schedule something that involved consuming food. "Where are we going?"

"Uhm...we could go to Haido Shopping Center and do our shopping there."

"It's open this late?"

"Twenty-four hours."

"How do you say twenty-four hours?"

"Nijūyon jikan."

"Got it."

Upon entering the center, Leah and Satako went to the elevators. They deserved a break after walking several miles from where she parked her new bike and where Satako parked her tiny smart car. The elevator opened its doors and the patrons inside left. Both went in and so did a few other people. Various floor buttons were pushed upon entering. Leah only needed to get to the second floor. The floor was wide with a supermarket dominating most of the space and smaller stores around the area. Leah followed Satako to the supermarket, passing by a few stores.

"And today's been a pretty goo-...Mei? Something wrong? A candy store?"

Leah went in the store to see various sweets displayed. Ila, Raj, Avanti and Jaya would love some of this made-from-scratch candy. After all, she hadn’t visited or spoken to them in a month. She wasn't supposed to have any outside contact with any previous relations, but she didn't care. She was their Naanii. Being there for her grandchildren was more important than hiding from a disgruntled Alpha.

"Uhm, the supermarket has a snacks aisle."

"Are these traditional Japanese candies?" Leah pointed out a section where they had all the traditional candies. She took a closer look.

"Ah, I remember eating this one all the time!" Satako picked up dried squid in vinegar.

Leah made a face.

"I like tangy and sour stuff. I wonder if it's still the same."

Leah shrugged and grabbed a pack for each child then looked at the other snacks. Leah picked up a thin plastic package. "Neri ame? What's that?"

"It's liquid candy you mix with the chopsticks. It tastes pretty good actually. Uhm, I think you have enough now. You have so much candy."

"Ah. Sorry. Grand...I mean, godchildren. I'm always sending them things."

They moved over to the checkout area, and Leah put the candy on the counter. When she handed him her credit card, he looked puzzled. Of course he did. She was a Jew with a Chinese name. He asked for her license, and she showed it to him as proof that, yes, that was her name. As they walked out, Leah began popping in and out of various stores to get what she needed. When they went to the food section, Satako took over.

"So," she asked. "What's with the name? I mean, Mei Xiang is a Chinese name and you're..."

"Israeli. Yeah, I was adopted when I was four," she lied as easily as she breathed. She didn't enjoy it, but it had to be done to protect Leah and everyone around her. "My parents were killed."

"In the Palestinian conflict?"

"Plane crash."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. I love my adoptive parents. They're why I got to live in the United States for so many years."

* * *

 

The dank stench of stale cigarettes and smog filled his nostrils. The fluorescent, blinking lights of the Ikebukuro businesses cast strange shadows on the streets as cars and zombies passed by. Adam really hated Japan. Really, he hated anywhere there was a shit ton of zombies. That's probably why Leah chose to hide here in the first place. She was smart. Adam watched a couple walk by holding hands and giggling like the zombies they were. There was one good thing about Japan. Well, maybe two. One: there was a taboo concerning public displays of affection. No having to see reminders that he was...was alone. Adam pushed past that thought. Everything dies. He would make that fact very concrete soon. Two: a Jewish Nistarim stuck out like a bloody sore thumb in a country full of Japanese zombies.

He strolled down the street, but then he stopped. The khopesh. It was humming like a swarm of angry hornets in his jacket sleeve. It made his arm itch. There was something nearby. Something Holy. Now, this something could be almost anything. It could be a missionary being protected by God's grace, an angel, a prophet or maybe...Leah. Adam started looking around. The humming was getting weaker as he walked down the street, so he made a beeline across the street and started heading uptown. He stayed close to the buildings where the shadows were darkest. Even with the glasses, the lights were fucking killing him.

That's when he saw it. Saw her. There was a tall and busty Nistarim with long, coarse black hair up in a bun. She was wearing thick hipster glasses and had on jeans and some tshirt with a band name on it. He watched her pulling out a black Kawasaki Ninja 14R motorbike. He clutched the khopesh, and then he felt it. The rage. He felt like his heart was being kick started again, and his body felt like it was dripping with adrenaline and testosterone. Like a fucking zombie caveman. He wanted to gut that bitch like the pig she was. He started jogging forward, watching her even through the crowd. His nose was locked onto her scent. She wasn't getting away from him. She would pay for what she did to him...to Eve.

As soon as she was speeding down the road, Adam became a blur. He kept up with her until she got on a busy highway. Then he jumped on a catering company van. He rode it until they got to a stop. That's when she spotted him. Her eyes widened, and she locked her joints. Good. The bitch was scared of him. She needed to be…no, she deserved to be. He let the black khopesh slide out of his sleeve, and her complexion went white. The big God-green eyes were horrified. Adam actually grinned for the first time in a very long time. It felt awkward but right...like the first time he slept with his wife, Eve. He killed both his loves. Both were named Eve. He was twisted that way.

When the light turned, Leah shot forward like a bat out of hell. Adam chuckled and readied himself to pounce in a cat-like stance. There was a bridge up ahead, and he intended to put it to good use. It would be better than anyone could fathom. As soon as the truck gained on her on the bridge, Adam jumped. He grabbed her upon impact, rebelling in the crunching sound her pretty ribs made. She gasped, and Adam heard cars swearing and tires screeching while horns blared. When he saw the water coming he snapped Leah's neck so she wouldn't be able to struggle against him long enough that he could get her to his hideout.

He heard her yelp when the bones snapped, and then she went limp in his arms. As they fell, Adam looked at Leah as he tucked her head into his arm. Her eyes were half-lidded, but he could easily tell she wasn’t there. Those God-green eyes sent a shock through his spine even today after having seen it so many times. It was like his curse…his punishment, never ended.

Upon impact, Adam felt himself beginning to sink into the icy saltwater. He waited until he hit the bottom and started swimming. He wrapped Leah's arms around his neck and made his way towards the harbor where he kept himself holed up. Upon reaching the dock, he tossed Leah up onto the dock. She hit the wood with a dull thud and rolled onto her side slightly. Her eyelids were fluttering. Shit. She was coming to. Adam hauled himself up onto the dock and hefted Leah over his shoulder with a grunt.

Adam made sure no one was around when he boarded the yacht of one of his victims. That was where everything would go down. There, he would torture and drain Leah, and then he'd cut her into little bits and watch the sharks devour her. It would be a gorgeous death. One worthy of a fucking novel. A story of poetic justice and revenge for the love and life that Leah took from him.

Without Eve, he was nothing. Leah would be nothing too.


	11. Chapter 11

It was dark and cold.

Those were the first things she noticed when she started waking up. She felt rocking. Were they on a boat? Her head ached as she opened her eyes and tried to look around. That's when she noticed the smell that hung in the air: blood. She tried to move, but she was tied to a table. She grimaced as she turned her head to see four people in a familiar, macabre collage of body parts. There were two young girls that looked about fifteen or sixteen and a male that looked to be about thirty. One of the girls had tears streaming down her face. Just by seeing her, Leah felt the sorrow more intensely. The tears made it worse. She tried to curl in on herself, but her legs were tied down too. She wanted to cry out...to weep. She wouldn't give Adam the satisfaction.

Leah tried to shift her wrists, trying to determine what was tying her down to the cold linoleum table. Rope. Really thick rope. She shifted her feet as well. Rope. Damn it. Leah looked to the other side and noticed all of her belongings and clothes laid out on a tacky leather couch. She looked down at herself and realized she was only in her undergarments. She chose the wrong day to wear black lace.

Leah looked down her body for the first time, and there Adam was. He smiled at her like she was the last virgin. "Good morning," he purred. "Do you know what I'm going to do to you?"

"I have a pretty good idea,” she said, laying her head back on the table, grinning.

Adam moved from his perch and dragged the khopesh over her leg, just barely grazing the skin. It felt like he took a smith’s iron to her. Leah screamed and tried to jerk away from him, but there was nowhere to escape to. She was definitely screwed. Where did he get a black khopesh anyway? The most recent intel was that Lilith and Judas had all of them.

Adam chuckled and removed the weapon, giving her time to collect herself. He was pretty good at torture. She wasn’t surprised. "That feel good?"

Leah still had enough fire in her that she could answer him sarcastically. "Oh, you know it does."

He grabbed her chin. "I'd watch my tongue if I were you. Remember what that got you last time," he released her and began circling like a vulture. "Do you know why you're here the way you are?"

"Adam, listen to me. I didn't mean to hit just Eve. I meant to hit you too." She saw him freeze and clutch the khopesh tighter. Maybe she could get out of this. "I know how badly you need someone to care for you. I get it. I'd rather have missed completely than take only one of you down." She began using her bone shards to try and cut the rope, but Adam had already compensated for that. There was wire laced into the rope. She wasn’t getting out that way.

Suddenly, there was an intense burning on her chest. Adam had turned and slashed her bra in two using the blade. Leah screamed and arched until she felt her hands go numb even though the cut was superficial. The skin around the cuts and scrapes were black and veiny around the edges like some sort of sepsis from hell. Her skin was burning; she could smell it as it mixed with the smell of the blood in the room. She was shaking now. If she were human, she'd be going into shock and dying. However, she wouldn't cry. Leah wouldn't cry in front of an enemy. Leah did not cry in front of the enemy.

"I don't want any fucking excuses! You took my mate!" His voice cracked. "She's gone and it's...all your fault. Why didn't you kill me?! You bitch."

Adam untied one leg and seemed to search the skin of her inner thigh for something. When he found it, he started massaging it. "Might as well enjoy myself while I do it though."

When he bit into her femoral artery, Leah only felt pinpricks and pressure. Her body was too busy trying to cope after the khopesh cuts. She heard him moaning and clutching her leg. Leah needed to get loose before he drained her completely. She watched him start rocking against one of the table's legs and blushed. If she didn’t get loose soon, she’d be making another big mistake they’d both regret in the morning.

With great struggle and pain, she was able to quietly dislocate her thumb. Though, if she used a flame thrower to break free, she doubted Adam would notice while he was feeding. Her hand slipped out like it was water. She moved to the other hand and started trying to undo the know. That's when Adam fell to the floor on his back with a groan. Now was her chance! She put her thumb back in the socket and hurriedly untied her feet from the table.

She was about to make a run for it when something happened. She was having a vision.

* * *

 

Someone gasped out in pain as Leah made the first cut into a male chest. She touched it gently. It was cold and hard like well-carved marble. She paused and murmured an apology before beginning to carve an Enochian symbol onto his ribs, sternum and heart. Then she saw a set of three sigils: one on each hand and one in the center of the chest. It was an outer circle with an Enochian phrase in it. Leah's Enochian was iffy, so she tried for a rough translation of it:

"You will eat dust all your days. And The Lord of Hosts shall create a bond between you and the woman, she will crush your head, and you will strike her heart."

The inner circle looked like a labyrinth of lines, but none of them touched. Then the lines began to shift around like a lock undoing itself when you turned the key. Leah watched in amazement before a The Lord came to her mind while she was blinded and warmed by Heaven's light. She nearly fell to the floor in tears. So long. It had been so long since she had heard his voice or felt his peace. She started sobbing and giggling all at once.

Then Leah felt her stomach flip. She opened her bleary eyes and found herself upside down. She laughed and started flying, doing backflips, cartwheels and loops in the air. She could hear a child laughing in the distance. God? Leah stopped and suddenly felt a wave of euphoria and warmth crashing over her. The only way she could explain it was like taking a warm bath in the ocean after rolling in dirt and mud.

"Your purpose is on the horizon. I have not forsaken you, my child. Use the Seal of the Servants."

Leah relished the sound of that voice. It had been so long. “God, please…let me stay a little while longer. Let me stay with You…just for a few more moments.”

"We will be together soon. Have faith."

* * *

 

When Leah came to her senses, she dragged Adam up onto the table where she had been only moments before. She walked around looking for something, but the room was spinning. She was bleeding out all over the floor. She searched her clothes. Nothing. Surely this yacht had...ah! Leah used the legs of chairs as spikes to jab into Adam's shoulder joints. If he moved, he'd lock them and would be unable to move. She did the same to his knees and then used rope to pin his chest. She didn’t want him to squirm too much. It would only make it hurt worse. He finally woke when she jammed in the first spike. He screamed. She continued quickly but noticed he was right back to sleep. Interesting. It must've been an effect her blood had, like a souped up morphine or Valium. She’d have to remember that for the next meeting with the Nistarim.

She stumbled out of the room and started looking for the kitchen. Surely they had a kitchen on this thing. Leah managed to find the kitchen, but she was getting woozy. She’d already fallen four times climbing up and down sets of stairs. She found a knife in the kitchen and returned as quickly as she could without harming herself. Then she started cutting. Adam barely moved. She found something to use as a carving instrument and began writing the Enochian sigils onto the bones of his ribs. Then she noticed something…he had one less rib. She laughed more than she should have. She was sooo loopy.

When she was done, she cut her wrist gingerly and let her blood seep into the writing. The letters glowed for a brief moment before disappearing completely. She removed her tools and watched in awe as the skin began to seal itself almost instantly. She saw a black ink like a tattoo rising up on his hands and chest. It was just like the sigil in her vision. She winced when she felt the discomfort in the chest wound and found a bikini top to cover herself in a compartment under one of the built in seats. She could hear Adam's thoughts and see into his mind. It was almost like before when she was still part of the link.

"Adam," she said, taking his hand after removing all of the restraints. "You fought well; Eve would be very proud...both of them would. Be at peace," she commanded, resting her hand on the sigil on his chest. "We'll be sailing to China. There, we'll get on a plane and go to my home in Israel. You'll sleep in a coffin with sigils to keep you from escaping."

She sensed him scoffing and thinking that was corny to put him in a coffin.

"There's not really any other way to transport a body, and I'm not comfortable with you being up and around humans. Not yet."

She felt his pain at the loss of Eve, his mate, and left him to be alone. He would likely be able to move in a few hours, and he wouldn't be happy.


	12. Chapter 12

"Miss Leah?"

Leah looked up over her glasses from the book she was reading. One of her house workers was at the door, his head peeking through before the rest of his body entered. Yes, Leah owned a very pricey mansion. She employed the homeless as housekeepers, gardeners, security, drivers, cooks and butlers among other things and let them live in the mansion with her. After all, she lived alone, and she was always out of the country on hunts. This was one of the butlers, a former soldier named Avner. He had just recently started working with a new prosthetic leg paid for by the paycheck bonus Leah gave him, and he was finally getting the hang of working with it.

"Hello, Avner. What is it?" she asked, marking her place in her book with her leather bookmark.

"Am I intruding?"

“No, no. It's fine. I needed to give my eyes a break anyway. What do you need?"

"It's about your guest. He looks ill."

Leah removed her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose before putting them back on. Ever since Leah used the Seal of the Servant, Adam had been catatonic. He never ate or slept as far as she could tell, and his thoughts were disturbing even for her. Every waking moment for him was suicidal or memories of Eve. When Leah would send someone to check on him, they would say that he wouldn't move. Some said it didn't even look like he was breathing. Probably because he wasn't. She shut her eyes and reached through the bond.

\---

Adam sat on his newly tattered, ripped-to-shreds bed, arms spread wide across its ledge, head hanging dead backwards, his neck loose but strained as it sought to keep him from falling to the floor. His night shirt hung open, revealing that damned seal and his attempts at removing it with his own hands. Proof positive of his indifference rested on the bedside table: a neat stack of untouched blood packs.

His surroundings didn't exactly help his depressive mood. The room looked like something out of a museum. Like him. He was isolated from not only zombies and a bitch Nistarim but also any reminder that life existed outside the deep red walls. There were no lights on, but the windows were open, casting slivers of pale moonlight over the floor, creeping over him to illuminate his less than flattering position. No matter. His regret, his misery and his emptiness were for his eyes only. And that is how things would stay. His straw, brutally short, was drawn weeks ago when Eve died in his arms.

These dark thoughts were why Adam was so morbidly silent this evening. Late at night, in the dark, all by himself, he would get mad. Terrifyingly so. It wasn't a focused or direct anger. Just a blast of rage at God for His unabashed cruelty in stealing everyone he held dear and doing so in such brutal fashion. His loved ones were burned, shot, committed suicide, sacrificed or ran through with his own unknowing hand. Yet still he walked, a ghost, helpless to save them, not worth Death's time. He was cursed to wander the world of the living, while his mind stayed firmly with the dead.

Once his anger would subside, he would cry. He would weep until he thought his ribs would break from the intensity of his weeping. The dangerous, infamous Firstborn would erupt into big, flowing tears filled with the emotions he wouldn’t dare reveal to anyone else. Perhaps not even Eve. It was unbecoming to say the least. Then, when all the water drained from his face, and he could not offer in tribute another drop, he would fall asleep.

Now, he simply wallowed in a state of numbness, unfeeling and empty. His anger had poured out, but nothing filled him again, not even sadness. When hollowness overtook him the first time, he considered breaking the mirror in the adjoining bathroom and cutting himself in hopes of sparking a reaction. But even that proved impossible, as he lacked the energy to even break the mirror that taunted his loneliness. Cutting himself would take effort, a singularity of purpose that proved elusive to his empty vessel. And so he sat, slung back on his bed, nothing more than an accessory until he fell into sleep or died. Right now, he did not know which fate would take him sooner. He hoped it would be death.

\---

"Todah rabah, Avner. I'll take care of it."

"Bevakasha."

Leah stood and sat her book down before walking out of her study and down the hall. She passed her room and stopped at the one on the left side of her double doors. She knocked loudly and walked in without waiting for a response. She honestly doubted she’d get a response even if she did wait. As soon as she stepped inside, she had to stop and collect herself. The room looked as if it had gone through the bloody shredder. She sighed and sat on the tattered bed beside him and reached out to touch Adam's cheek. It was colder than it should've been, likely because he hadn't been feeding, and for a body that feeds off of warmth, that alone could drain the little strength he still possessed.

His hand shot out and gripped her wrist tightly. His eyes lazily drifted over to meet her own. She could hear his threats through the seal, but that hardly deterred her.

"I'm not leaving until you say something."

He growled. "Get. Out."

Leah sighed and pried his fingers away before standing and pulling out a wine glass. "What would Eve say? She wouldn't be happy to see you in this condition."

 _You know nothing_ , he thought.

"Based on what I can see through you, I know plenty. She wouldn't be happy knowing she was causing you so much misery."

She listened as he imagined such a scene. He knew she was right, and he hated her for it. He knew Eve would want him to keep moving forward. After all, she had always been that way as well. Leah quit listening and started pouring the blood into the glass. The pouring of the blood was done there for the sake of using Adam's hunger against himself, so that the fragrance would be stronger, falling through the air and filling every crack and crevice like an invisible fog. She knew he was hungry, so she was going to make him feed whether he wanted to or not. Leah observed as Adam stared at the glass of with a disturbing display of obsession.

"Since you can't move, I'll have to help you," she said, slowly sitting down and pulling Adam into the crook of her elbow like a child.

When the blood hit Adam's tongue, he ceased to hate the world. The world became nothing for him, and there was only the blood and the ecstasy of feeding, of filling his body, of taking strength and nourishment. Leah watched as his dead body rejoiced as it tasted life again, singing praise to feelings of pleasure. Leah watched and listened to the desperation, the hunger of a wasted creature that would emit broken purrs and groans, sounds of relief and of wanting more, more, more blood. Leah filled the glass with a second blood pack and then again with a third. When he was finished, Leah left the glass and walked away to let him rest.

Sometime later, before retiring for a brief rest, Leah returned to Adam’s room and opened the heavy door. Everything was back in order. Leah had personally changed the bed and curtains while workers repainted. As she entered, a glint to her side caught her attention. It was the shattered remains of the wine glass that had been polished by the vampire's tongue. Not bothering to pick up the pieces, Leah turned her narrowed gaze on Adam, who was lying in the shadows of a corner with his bare back turned away. At least he was getting up and around.

"Don't leave it for me!" An enraged snarl rebounded off the walls. "Never leave it for me again! Never!"

Leah, at first astounded by the behavior, calmed when she realized the meaning behind the demand. He wanted to die when his body was deteriorating because he could've gone through with it. Now that his head was clear though, he and Leah both knew he couldn't...wouldn't. He had to live to keep remembering Eve. If he died, no one would remember her. Leah knew Adam couldn’t stand to let that happen. Leah watched the pale back sobbing.

"I'm glad you've come to your senses. You should know something though, before we move any further. You can't die unless I die. Even if you're shot with wood bullets or stabbed by a stake. If you want to live for Eve, you have to keep me alive. Keep that in mind."

And that was how she left him.


	13. Chapter 13

Leah and Adam were about to raid a human trafficking club run by vampires for vampires in West Belize. The leader of the trafficking ring was a seventeen year old boy. The intelligence report she received that day, shortly after having after-lunch tea, stated that there were 75 humans and four vampires inside a dilapidated building that was once a soap factory. She reviewed the report carefully before she began to plan an attack. She went along with Adam sporting a duffel bag filled with all sorts of vampire-killing implements.

"You shouldn't have come," said Adam, the two of them squeezed together in the limited space of a train bench. The sun was up, and he was actually laying his head on her shoulder, her head blocking the sun coming from the window.

"You do not tell me what to do," Leah said as she turned the page of her book on the Seal of the Servant.

"I could handle this easily by myself without any assistance from you," he blandly responded.

"Cocky are we? Giving less credit to my abilities than what I deserve considering the fact that you were done in by me only a month ago."

"I'm simply stating the fact that I could rip them apart and put an end to their existence easily, mistress," he added unneeded, sarcastic emphasis to the title he gave her. She loathed it, and he knew it. "But if you insist on accompanying me to ensure my well-being I can say that my lifeless heart is touched by the gesture."

Leah rolled her eyes and looked at her book again before letting out a soft yawn. She was unable to sleep last night, and now she was paying the price for her insomnia. All the work being dumped on her lap as of late had kept her mind running long past the point of no return. There was a fine line she often crossed that made it nearly impossible to sleep because her brain would not shut off. Now, her mind didn’t want to stay on. Leah looked down at Adam and noticed his mouth was starting to fall open, revealing retracted canines. Leah carefully shut his mouth and laid her head against the window. A short nap never killed anyone.

* * *

 

It was one of those nights when Leah, try as she might, just couldn't sleep. Sadly, a good night's rest was becoming less frequent as of late, and it was on nights like this, when sleep proved elusive, that she found herself brooding. She took a long drink of her Kauffman Luxury Vintage Vodka before spitting it into a water bottle after the flavor dulled on her tongue. It was the best vodka the world could provide with its smooth, crisp taste and earthy scent. Leah felt a shift in the air from where she sat on the balcony in a lounge chair. She also sensed a slight tension in the atmosphere that came with _his_ appearance.

While she was getting better at identifying when he was nearby, Adam was getting better at trying to make her life a living hell. Most days it was missing papers or incessant knocking on the walls and ceiling. When he was feeling exceptionally...squirrelly, he would pop in and try irritating her by acting like a bratty child. There was one instance in which he laid on her desk all day moaning and groaning until she gave him a blood pack and shot at him until he left. When he was upset, he'd trash the mansion and act innocent until she forced him to be truthful by using the seal. She didn't like using the seal since it was extremely painful for him, but she often had little choice in the matter. He knew it irritated her; that's why he did it. If he was stuck as her pet, he would be the worst one imaginable. Typical Adam.

However, as they grew used to each other, the hostility she held for him was beginning to wane into more of a mild disdain. After Leah knocked some sense into him and gave him a reason to live, he quit trying to kill himself and even quit moping about like a sullen, gothic teenager sans the acne. The anger on his side was also beginning to slowly fade into more of an almost friendly sort of rivalry. When Leah asked about the sudden change of heart, he said that he always knew Eve would die before him, and he knew Eve would want him to keep moving forward. Leah knew better though. She knew he was grieving silently. She sensed it through the Seal.

On many days Leah sensed Adam’s distress to the point it was interrupting her thought process. It once got so awful that she actually fed him her own blood to make him comatose enough that she could actually get work done. On other days, she would sit and sing old Hebrew nursery songs like she would to her children when they were sick. When Adam would wake up, he wouldn’t speak of it even though he was well aware of what she did. Honestly, she didn’t care.

The vampire walked into the room and stood beside where she was sitting. "Thinking too much will ruin your looks, mistress" he purred with that shit eating grin on his snide face.

"I have more important things to think about than my looks, Adam."

"I never thought you loved the moonlight so much, perhaps we could watch the moon together?"

"Cut it out," she said in a threatening whisper. “I’m not in the mood,” she murmured as she spit the vodka under her tongue into the water bottle.

"It's already past midnight, and you were up all day. You should go to bed, mistress," he said in a placating voice.

"Can't sleep."

"Then would you like me to tuck you into bed?” Adam suggested with a smirk.

Leah shot him a withering look. "If you wanted to help so badly, you could do me a big favor by leaving me alone."

"I can't believe you're straining yourself this much over some shithead, pompous Nistarim," he said seriously. “Besides, you never left me alone when I thought I needed it.”

"And I thought I made it clear to you a hundred of times that I do not want you reading my thoughts, Adam."

"I can't completely leave your thoughts alone. It is one way I can be assured of your safety, and therefore, mine as well."

"Just leave me alone, Adam. I'm not in the mood for your baiting and pestering. I am tired and can't sleep," she murmured quietly.

Adam sat on the edge of the lounge chair and stared at her as she continued sipping at the tumbler. The cool breeze made a mess of her already tangled hair and made her shiver in her flannel pajamas. Her breasts felt sore and tender, and she felt stabbing pains in her lower back. Then there was the constant headache from the weight she carried on her tense, broad shoulders. She suddenly had a ridiculous feeling of wanting to cry.

 _If I were still a human, I'd think I was nearing the end of my cycle._ She let her thoughts run their course, almost forgetting about the vampire, who was sitting by her legs.

She knew all too well that it was just severe stress and anxiety. The stress of beings Nistarim, of being in contact with the others, of doing paperwork till late at night, of reading reports about bloody massacres, of hearing all the screams and the weeping constantly rattling around in her head when all she wanted was just a brief moment of respite.

"You look older than when we met back in Paris."

She said nothing to this, so they sat for a while in silence. She felt the Adam's eyes on her.

"It's odd. It's only been a short while since I lost Eve...but you intrigue me," he said in a seductively low voice.

"Give it a break will you? My patience is at its limits, and that isn’t funny. It's almost dawn and I'm still unable to go to sleep."

"I'm perfectly serious this time. Do you really want to know the reason why I can't keep off your mind?"

Oh, Leah knew. She knew all too well. She was able to figure it out at the same time as when she had to feed him because he was too weak to feed himself. She discerned the lying undercurrent beneath all his antics, taunting, teasing, stupid pranks and innuendos.

It was the Seal.

It messed with the servant's mind, making it almost impossible for them to rebel or harm the Master of the Seal, but it should've stopped altering his mind a week ago. What was this then? And what of it? Leah was perfectly aware of the dynamic between them. A subtle shift in the delicate balance of their relationship would completely upset the beam they both stood on. She wasn’t willing to screw up with God any more than she already had.

"You look ethereal under the moonlight." He faced her, lifting a thin lock of her hair between his fingers. "It makes your hair seem like the stroke of an ink brush."

"Adam." It was all she managed to say. In her sleep deprived state, she was unable to come with any other response. Her senses felt dull, her limbs heavy with fatigue.

"Mistress, if you will allow me, I know of a way to put you at ease." He moved behind her and slid his palms up her back, gently massaging the tense muscles of her neck.

Leah's knees would've buckled if she were standing as she felt his hands expertly knead the tiredness from her. She was bewildered on how he managed to make the simple back rub feel so good; then again, he had plenty of time to practice. He was the Firstborn. A soft sigh of pleasure escaped her lips. She idly wondered how his hands would feel against her bare skin, and was embarrassed with the realization that she wanted more of his touch. She stood abruptly and clutched the railing of her balcony. This was getting out of hand.

She heard him chuckle. "Shall I take that as yes?"

Leah felt arms slide around her waist, pressing the back of her body against his. Strangely enough, she found an odd sort of comfort from this contact. Because of this reason, Leah let herself be held. She leaned her head to his chest, feeling the marble-like solidity of his body. She could just sleep there like that at least until the sun rose and work started piling up again.

"Command me. I'm completely at your disposal...I'm your servant after all."

Those words, dripping with suggestion sent desire pooling in her belly. Anticipation heightened her senses amidst her strung out nerves. Stop. She needed to stop this now or she'd regret it later. She quickly disentangled herself from his arms and took a couple of steps back, her eyes on his face, never tearing her harsh gaze from his. She took in the details of that visage: the patrician features, clear alabaster skin, high cheekbones, aquiline nose, well-shaped lips and gleaming eyes.

"Adam, get out. Now."

He tensed when he felt the Seal activate, receiving only a whisper of pain. "Very well. Good night, Leah.”

* * *

 

It took them half an hour to reach the place by train after getting off at the airport. Their destination was a sleepy, industrial village, quaint and picturesque in its daylight appearance. Leah almost found the place charming until she remembered that a few meters from the edge of the village, there were vampires holed up in a dilapidated factory holding innocent hostages. Leah was looking at the factory from the small bed and breakfast she and Adam were hiding in until the sun fully set.

"I'll be fighting alongside you,” she said as she looked through binoculars at the factory. They were bringing in military rations. There was a village doctor going in and out as well with various kinds of medical supplies. They were taking care of the hostages.

"Fine,” Adam grumbled from beneath a mountain of blankets and underneath a pillow.

"If any of the human captives ask, we’re British liaisons with the secret intelligence."

"Belize has secret intelligence?"

"All countries do. Ever since the beginning. How do you not know that?”

Adam groaned and stood from the bed. “I don’t involve myself in the affairs of zombies.”

“You do now. Can you smell them?"

"All of them are Barabbites."

"Alrighty," Leah sat down her duffel bag and pulled out two bladed weapons. "Which one to do you want? Korean war fan or...the Iraqi shamshir?"

Adam took the fan from her and opened it, eyeing it with what Leah assumed was wonder or curiosity. Adam always did have a predilection with ancient things. Both weapons were very old and very powerful when used the right way. He kept the fan which Leah took to mean she got the sword. She was always a fan of big swords, no innuendo intended.

“Let’s start moving. I want to be in and out by four.”

* * *

 

“I know what you did,” the vampire spat, the blood of his cut lip dripping down his chin. “We all do.”

“Is that right?” Leah returned without a beat as she dragged the knife through his meaty thigh.

“You’re just bound and determined to fuck yourself royally, aren’t you sweetheart?” he managed to grunt through the pain. “Having an Alpha that close? It’s a death wish. Especially since…well, it won’t matter soon.”

“Wow,” she grinned at him. “You will say just about anything to get me to stop this, huh?”

She let her bone protrusion slide out and buried it in the arm of the wood chair her victim was tied to…through his hand. He writhed against the cuffs as he cried out. Leah purred as the blood entered her system. She was feeling rejuvenated, but she needed to make it last.

“I believe you about one thing, kid. The Alphas are planning something. Now. You gonna tell me what they’re up to, or do I get to play some more?”

“Fuck, weren’t you Nistarim supposed to be Holy shits.”

“Even the angels did battle, kid. We’re all warriors for the same cause: the guarding of God’s creation. We’ll do whatever we have to in order to fulfill that goal.”

She picked up a blade made from diamond and dragged it along the male’s cheek so the tip only broke the upper layer of skin. He grunted. “Well, I ain’t telling you shit.”

“Too bad. So, tell me how you got roped into such a low-level job. I know you’re older than everyone else, yet you aren’t even the head of the operation. What’s with that? Did Barabbas demote you? Again?”

“How did you-“

Leah used her knife to pull his shirt away from his shoulder revealing a brand with the sin in Latin. He was late for a job. “He always was archaic in his punishments. Truth is…I’m worse.”

Before he could even reply, Leah pulled a short knife from behind her back and plunged it into his shoulder. He screamed out as his nerves sang with pain. “I hate that bastard,” he choked out through tears.

“Then what could be a better way to get back than to betray him?”

“Alright…fine…I’ll talk.”

* * *

 

The mission lasted for four hours.

By the time Leah and Adam returned to the bed and breakfast through the window, they were exhausted. Leah peeled off her blood-splattered clothes, leaving them in an unceremonious heap in the bathroom floor. She went to turn on the tap for a bath, leaving the faucet on as a slow steady flow of hot water filled the tub. Then she stepped inside the shower stall and stood under a stream of rushing water, the tepid jets streaming down her long and heavy hair washing away the dried, sticky blood.

The mission ended quite well; there were no human casualties among the trafficked girls and boys. Luckily, the secret intelligence story worked out well with the local police, and all of the victims were given medical care. There was one instance though when an officer asked if she needed any help. Adam was spotlessly clean while Leah looked like she wriggled around inside a strawberry jelly-filled donut. After a cover up story or two, Adam and Leah finally found a moment in which they could escape and head back into the village.

All of this Leah pondered as she pumped the dispenser of whatever was left of her eucalyptus shower gel onto a loofah and scrubbed herself with it like one would grate cheese. She reached for the near empty bottle of facial wash, squeezing a tiny bit into her palm, and proceeded to lather her face, then tipped her chin up to the gush of water, rinsing the suds. Gathering her long tresses in her hands, she squeezed it to get rid of excess water before reaching for the conditioner; she'd be tearing hair out just to comb it if she didn't use the stuff. Humans were such inventive creatures. If Leah had had this when she was first alive, her morning ritual would've been much briefer.

She stood a few moments under the running water, letting it rinse her before turning the shower off. Thick steam was starting to build up in the bathroom, and Leah took her thin-toothed hair comb beside the faucet in the lavatory. She combed her slick, wet hair easily, twisted it wringing out drops of water and secured it with a clamp on top of her head. She walked to the tub and turned the faucet off just before slipping in. She closed her eyes, her neck lolling on the tub's ledge. The steam from the water wafted the scent of lavender, making her all the drowsier. After a long while, she stood from the tub, drained it of its water and grabbed her bathrobe from its hamper, wrapping her body in the soft, fluffy fabric. It was a gift from her grandchildren and was blue with ridiculous unicorns on it. Still, it was a gift, and she cherished it. She eyed her discarded clothes in the bathroom floor. She would have to have them burned.

As she lay in bed beside a sleeping Adam, Leah thought about what the vampire said to her during her interrogations. It made her worried about what was really going on among the Nistarim. She didn’t have inside intel since her Fall. If what she gathered was true…the end could be closer than she would’ve liked. Leah sighed and rolled onto her side away from Adam and willed herself into falling asleep.

* * *

 

Adam looked down at his skin, his white unmarred skin. He was unscathed at least physically. Marlowe was dead. Eve was dead. His son was dead. So many dead. He was the only one left, the only one left with the corruption on his hands. He looked over at Leah who was sleeping on the other side of the large bed. Why couldn’t she be dead? Was she just as corrupt as him? Perhaps that why he was chained to her.

During his whole vampire life, Adam had only been able to see three colors. Red, black and white. Everything else appeared grey, which to Adam meant everything that didn't matter. Zombies were grey. Marlowe had been black and a sort of mentor. Eve had been his pure, innocent white. Then there was red. Blood was red. It wasn’t always that way though. Not in the beginning anyway. Now though, color was being forced upon him by this damn Seal. And he was enjoying it. He hated himself for enjoying it.

Once again, Adam looked over at Leah. Her face looked younger and more vibrant than it had before the mission. Like when he first saw her. He wouldn’t deny that he found her attractive; he could own up to that one. What he didn’t want to own up to was the fact that he felt that way so soon after Eve’s passing. He should’ve grieved for longer than two fucking months. He owed her more than that. He just couldn’t fucking help it. He really was a sick fuck.

Adam laid his head on his own pillow and stared at Leah back and her atrocious choice in sleepwear. It made him feel like a bloody pedophile while he was looking at her ass. Leah rolled over, making Adam back up as if scalded. One of the buttons on the top was nearly coming undone. Fuck.


	14. Chapter 14

The meeting would begin in a few hours, and Leah was still trying to drag Adam up off his ass and out of his bed. She should've requested a night meeting, but she thought Adam could handle going out in the early afternoon. This was obviously a misconception on her part. A really, really, really big misconception. Getting Adam up was like wrangling a five year old out of bed. Leah had distinct memories of trying to get her daughter Dinah out of the bed. This was very similar if not identical. Leah was glaring at Adam through the mirror as she finished braiding her hair, putting on makeup and putting on her clothes. Honestly, he was over ten thousand years old and acting like a toddler.

Leah went to Adam’s suitcase and pulled out a pair of jeans and a black button up shirt. She also grabbed a pair of black worker’s boots and grey gloves. After closing Adam's suitcase, Leah sat his clothes on her bed and turned to face the vampire in question. All she could see of him was little pieces of hair since he had pulled the covers over his head when Leah turned on all the lights and opened the curtains to let in the Bucharest sun.

"Adam," Leah said with a sing-song tone while poking what could be seen of Adam's forearm.

She got a grunt and a hand swatting her finger away in reply before it slid back under the blankets.

"Adam," she repeated, losing all kindness in her voice.

This time there was a groan as Adam rolled over and away from her.

"Well, at least we've made some progress," she mumbled. She then ripped the covers off the bed completely. Adam groaned and curled in on himself. "Adam, wake up."

"Give them back."

"No."

He turned to give Leah a look that was nothing short of murderous. "Give. Them. Back."

Leah leaned over him and flicked his nose harshly. "Nope."

"I am going to hurt you."

"Go ahead and try. You'll just end up convulsing on the floor like last time." Leah looked and noticed Adam was asleep again. "Damn it. Adam, I'm going to be late!"

"That's it."

Leah marched--rather, stomped--to her suitcase and fished around until she found the silencer. She fit it to her gun and put in a clip of wood bullets. Without any kind of warning, Leah fired the entire clip into Adam's chest.

"Fucking hell?! That bloody hurt, bitch!”

"Up. We're leaving."

"Fuck that."

"If you go back to sleep, I'm going to use the seal to drag you out of here."

“Fuck you.”

Leah reached through the seal and activated the pain sensors in Adam’s body. The seals on his chest and hands started glowing bright red against his skin. It would feel like a thousand scorpion stings all at once. It was enough to debilitate a human, but for Adam, it would just be extremely painful until she deactivated the system within the seal.

"Fuck! I'm up, I'm up!"

* * *

 

Leah moved to sit in her seat for the meeting when she sensed the tension. She looked at the Nistarim and then at Adam. They were glaring at each other. Leah cleared her throat and motioned for Adam to come stand beside her. If he could get through this meeting without back sassing anyone, she'd give thanks to God and get him three bags of O negative. She nodded to everyone despite all the dirty looks she was receiving, and she counted them all. They'd lost another two Nistarim. It only got worse when the three "leaders" came in.

Abel's was the most...animated reaction of the three. The other two just looked slightly startled, but they both recovered unlike the son of Adam. "Y-You brought him in here?"

"Hello, Abel. Yes," Leah said cordially. "He's my right hand and as such, it's only fair that he be kept well informed on what’s happening here. Besides, it's not like he can stab me in the back."

"I don't want him here,” Abel snapped as he glared at his undead father.

"Abel," David chided.

"I don't think I raised you that way, boy," Adam growled. Great. No O negative for him.

"Silence that mongrel, Leah, or so help me-"

"Enough!" David roared, banging his fist on the table. "Leah has every right to bring him here. Abel, sit down and act your age."

Leah grinned.

"Leah," David warned. "Quit egging him on." He sat down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I swear you two are like children.”

Abel cleared his throat. "This meeting will begin with the usual updates. Make sure they're said aloud since one of us can't hear the link. Leah, do try to pay attention."

_Is he referring to you?_

_Obviously. Didn’t you see that glare he sent us? He looks like he’s sucking on a lemon._

_Why?_

_When we slept together, I broke a strict covenant with God because I engaged in intercourse without being married. I've lost many of my abilities. The link being one of them. I also can’t feed off religious worship anymore._

_Is that what those freaky ass bone straws are for?_

Leah smirked and nearly snorted. _Indeed._

"Leah, I do believe it's your turn. I, for one, would like an explanation for _him_."

Leah stood and nodded to Adam. They discussed how this would happen in the cab on the way there. She would talk and he would show his marks when she gave him the go ahead. Until then, he would follow and at least act subservient. “A week after the previous meeting, I traveled to Moscow in an attempt to kill the Alpha known as Adam, the Firstborn. Because of unchangeable events, I only succeeded in killing his mate, Eve, and royally pissing him off."

Abel coughed at the use of language. “Honestly, Leah. Some of us frown on the use of foul language. Then again, you haven’t been in contact with the Creator in so long. It isn’t that unusual.”

Leah smiled and continued after he was done. Just grin and bear it. She could take it out on another vampire later. "As you all know, I went deep undercover in Japan and reached out to the Nistarim for aid. No one but David was willing to assist me. Had you assisted, we may have been having a different conversation today," she snapped. "Adam somehow found me, pursued me and captured me. He fed from my veins, causing him to become catatonic."

"Likely because your blood is so diluted," Methuselah reasoned. “This is useful information.”

“Indeed,” Abishag nodded. “This is monumental. We will have to experiment further. This could give us a new advantage. Perhaps the untainted Nistarim could use their blood as another poison.”

David cleared his throat, making everyone quiet down. “Leah, please continue with your explanation.”

"I broke free from the restraints he used against me, and was spoken to by God for a short while. He told me to use the seal, and I now await further instruction from him. For the time, I've been hunting with Adam alongside me for backup and practice. In the future, I hope to use him as protection and as an informant."

"Can he be killed?" Abel asked.

Leah took out her gun and shot him in the chest. He grimaced and fell to his knees clutching the wound as the bullets fell out and the skin sealed. This was part of the demonstration that she didn’t tell him about. She could’ve done much worse, so he’d better be grateful.

_Bitch! The hell was that for?!_

_Hush. You knew we’d have to convince them._

"No, he can’t be killed unless I’m killed. If I’m killed, Adam’s seal with vanish, and he’ll be killable again. Right now, he is the only known immortal."

"Is that all?" Abel asked. "Not very...productive. Ah well, Joseph?"

Leah gritted her teeth and stood, slamming her hands on the table. She could take many things, but saying she wasn't working hard enough was enough to rile her up. "That was quite uncalled for, Abel, Son of the Firstborn. First and foremost, the nature of my duties is very different from that of your office. I deal with the extermination vampires on a daily basis. You deal with it once a month if you're unlucky. Meanwhile, you tend to your flock, which you claim takes up all your time. But the truth is that I've seen human ministers hold down three jobs while having a family three times the size of yours! Do not undermine or underestimate my work unless you have something to back it up!"

"She's the one we fear most," Adam added.

The room was silent. David turned to Adam, acting as civil as he did with everyone else. "Pardon?"

"As vampires, we see you Nistarim as candles. Most of you are vibrant but some are dying, like my son there. We see Leah as Hellfire...undying. We fear her more than any of you old faggots."

"Why you!"

Leah used her end of the seal to make him yell in pain and make his knees buckle. She was doing him a kindness by punishing him before the others could get their hands on him. Many of them were experts in vampire torture like Abishag. She glared at him as he lay there twitching on the floor as if he was being electrocuted by a live wire. Everyone watched in amusement until Leah relinquished and let him rest there. Maybe they could finish before he woke up so he wouldn’t have any more opportunities to fuck this up for her.

Luckily, they did. Leah used the seal to wake him when the Nistarim were done, and they left. Leah was always one of the first ones to leave. No one wanted her there, and she had better things to do than get her face rubbed in dirt. As she and Adam were walking back to the hotel, she sensed something on his mind. She didn't want to forcefully go in and look, so she went with asking instead.

"What is it, Adam?"

"Aren't those assholes supposed to be Holy and kind?"

"Covenant says nothing about kind. You remember how the Pharisees acted at the beginning of the new era?"

"Yes."

"That's them. They don't see the evil I see everyday, so obviously, they've become out of touch with what our duty was to begin with. At the beginning, evil was rampant, and we had a lot of work on our hands. Things have changed, and vampires have learned not to mass produce other vampires."

"David isn't like that."

"He sees a different kind of evil than I do. He's far more compassionate than me because of it."

“What does he see?”

“He sees the unseen enemies and wars with them. Now, let’s get you back to the hotel so I can stop worrying that you’ll screw anything else up.”


	15. Chapter 15

They boarded a private jet an hour after sunset. It was rented from a company under the name Mei-Xiang. She’d probably hear about this one in the next budget meeting. Leah sat in one of the swivel seats, nursing a glass of vodka. Adam was sleeping on a couch nearby. They were nearing their destination of Washington D.C., so she reached through the seal and started pulling him out of sleep. It was quite the ordeal too. Apparently Adam slept like a hibernating bear, and he was nearly as aggressive as one when he was woken up. She could feel him snarling and protesting her slow pull on his consciousness.

He groaned and opened one eye. "The fuck did you do that for?"

"We'll be there in a few minutes. Start drinking." She pointed to the table in front of her where three blood packs were stacked. "It's the good stuff."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mistress."

Leah watched him as he stood and sauntered over, barefoot, to the chair opposite her own like a grumpy cat. He bit into the pack and sat back, letting gravity do the work for him. She watched as his Adam's apple bobbed with every swallow before he sat that pack down and picked up the second and then the third. His high lasted for a while after feeding, making him actually groan audibly. He was panting lightly when his eyes finally opened and he licked his lips clean. Leah was silent as she observed him over the top of her book.

"You're turning me into a gluttonous pig," he mumbled. “I’m lucky I can’t get fat.”

"I don't see you complaining. Besides, I need you at your strongest for the upcoming mission. I’ll be testing something out while we’re working."

“Oh?”

Leah didn’t respond. She didn’t want him to know she was planning to unlock the lowest level of the seal. He would get a surge of power, and she wanted to test his reaction. The book was very graphic in describing everything that could possibly go wrong. It didn’t really make Leah very confident in Adam and his ability to control himself. That’s why she was stuffing him with blood. She needed him as strong and lucid as possible.

It was Adam's turn to stare at her. Leah curiously reached through the seal to see what he was assessing about her. That wasn’t her best idea yet. He was looking at the way her fur-lined tan trench hung from her broad shoulders and the way her breasts made the button on her blouse peek open. Of course he'd be looking at that. Typical male. Then he was looking at her book and then her eyes. He focused on her eyes for an unusually long time. Something about the color of those touched by God. She withdrew after a while and returned to her reading.

"What is that? Latin?"

"It is. De Sigillo Servi."

"That's what you used on me?"

Leah nodded as she turned a page. "Trying to learn more about it."

The jet landed a few moments later. There was an SUV there waiting for them courtesy of the Nistarim in the area: David. Leah stepped into the back with Adam and stared out the window at all the historical monuments and buildings. She remembered the Revolution like it was yesterday. It had been such a hard time for the Nistarim because of all the pain it stirred. Leah had actually been a witness to some of it. Benedict Arnold had been an acquaintance as had Benjamin Franklin. They had always been like minded in that they were academics at heart.

Leah looked at the driver through the rear view mirror. He was human and most likely unassuming about what and who Leah and Adam were. "Are our things at the hotel yet?"

"Yes, ma'am."

“They were handled delicately and with discretion?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

* * *

 

Leah stood hunched over in front of a house with Adam. It was freezing cold, and unlike the vampire beside her, she was susceptible to the elements. Even in her coat, she thought she was going to die of hypothermia. She knocked hurriedly and listened as someone moved around inside. She pulled out her gun filled with crucifix-silver bullets. Adam pulled the lever action rifle off his shoulder and hid himself so the one who opened the door wouldn't be able to see him.

An elderly woman answered the door. She was very young in vampire years: only about three of four years old. She was the nest leader judging by the body language and scent she gave off. "May I help you?"

“Yes, we’re here about an infestation.”

“Infestation? We didn’t call for any sort of infestation services.”

“Are you sure?”

“Wait here.”

As soon as the old woman turned and began to shut the door, Leah darted forward and grabbed her by her hair. She smashed her head into the doorway, causing blood to ooze between Leah’s fingers. The wood cracked under the force, and Adam slipped by to start killing the rest of them. Before she could regenerate, Leah fired into the fallen woman's head. The sound of rapid gunfire reached her ears, but it wasn't from a rifle. Damn. Leah pierced the woman's chest with her bone protrusions and felt her muscles relax as her hunger was sated.

Leah stood slowly and pulled out her notebook where the release incantation was written down. Leah cut open her palm with her bone protrusion and made a circle on the floor. “Releasing control art restriction level one. Approval of situation alpha recognized. Commencing Cromwell invocation. Level one restrictions released until the enemies have been permanently neutralized.”

Leah watched as the circle started to grow and the words she spoke began to appear in Enochian. Then an old man barreled into her. Leah grunted upon impact with the wall and used her foot to kick his knee cap with enough power to snap the ligaments and make the patella protrude from the skin. He fell to the floor with a scream. Leah shot him quickly and fed once again. It seemed she and Adam were both gluttons.

* * *

 

Adam breathed a sigh of ecstasy as blood splattered across his face. Even after the last Dragulian was dead, he still painted the walls in their flesh. He hadn't felt this alive since WWII. He wanted to bathe in blood and let it soak through his skin. When there was no more damage he could do, he went to go find Leah. He didn't expect to see her getting her face and throat ripped apart. For some reason, he felt panicked. He knew she would heal, but he was still insanely protective. Without thinking, he yelled and lunged, using his teeth to rip at the vampire's throat.

This vampire wasn't going to go down easily like the others. He had a knife and jammed it Adam's shoulder. Blood pounded in his ears as the thrill of battle overtook him. It had been a long time since he'd felt it, that teetering on the edge of disaster, knowing that one wrong move could mean death. His claws cut through the air, nearly whistling as they sliced into the vampire's head. They snarled and circled each other like wild animals. Leah fired before Adam could lunge.

The last thing Adam remembered was turning to look at Leah before he heard her yelling and screaming at him. Shaking his head to clear it, he saw that he was on top of her, on his knees between her legs, fumbling to get his cock out. His other hand clutched the ripped front of her shirt to reveal the creamy whiteness of her chest. He froze. What the hell happened? He had no memory of jumping her like that. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he tried to calm the rage inside him. He looked down and saw her gun pressed to his chest. When she noticed clarity in his gaze, she cautiously lowered it. With slow, deliberate movements, he rose stiffly to his feet and turned away.

He listened as she buttoned up her coat before turning back to face her. She had a small, fresh gash on her cheek and a bruise around her wrist. It made him sick seeing those injuries, and he had no idea why. This damn seal was doing some freaky ass shit to him. Leah seemed to though because he reached into her thoughts and sensed no surprise. She was hiding something from him.

"The fuck was that?" he panted.

"I unleashed the first level of the seal. That was your base instinct coming out. I thought you’d be able to control it. I see I was wrong."

_But why the hell do I care about you?_

She didn't respond to his thoughts like she usually would. "The rage should be gone, but I can see you need more practice. I'll ask around for a few cases so we can keep testing it out.”

After a time, he found himself muttering an apology, eyes on the ground. He was ashamed, at his own fucking weakness. He was the Firstborn, damn it!

"No need to apologize. I expected you to try to kill me, but not that way." She cleared her throat. "I must apologize as well. I've been quite a-"

"A bitch?"

"Yes that," she sighed as they walked out of the house. "We haven't been...kind, have we?"

"No, but we're enemies. This is the order of things."

"Ah."

"You tempt me,” he thought as he glared at the back of her head. He was humiliated by such an admission. Something about this seal made stupid shit pour from his mouth.

"That too shall pass. Hopefully.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This couple seriously reminds me of "Animal" by Maroon 5. Especially this chapter. Listen while you read and let me know what you think.

The sun was beginning to descend below the jagged horizon. The evening was warm for Norway, but most of the people were staying inside, which was a wise thing to do with an Alpha vampire in the vicinity. None of them knew that of course, but most Alphas gave off a predatory vibe that made humans feel like there was always something lurking just beneath the shadows. Most of the people in the small fishing village were raised on Old Age Catholic and pagan superstition as well, making them even less likely to come out of their homes once the sun slipped behind the mountains. It was a desert for vampires. There was no sustenance to be hunted when nothing came out to play.

However, if anyone chose to peek outside into the shadowy streets, they would see something odd on one of the older, less sturdy fishing docks. Two coat-laden figures were standing in front of each other talking. Their silhouettes would appear large and masculine and foreign. Judas was the thinner of the two as well as the younger in appearance. He had very little grey hair in his thick black curls, and many human females often told him he had consuming black eyes and a constant look of predatory hunger. His counterpart was of the same descent as he, but he appeared to be older. His short beard and curled hair had streaks of grey and white, and he had crow’s feet in the corners of his hazel eyes.

"I hope this wasn't...too out of the way for you,” Judas asked with sarcastic civility.

"Not at all. I would have chosen something out of the way too if I were the one choosing our meeting place."

"Then I suppose this was good timing on my part?"

"There is never a good time among the Nistarim."

Judas grinned. "Ah, well, at least I tried. Any news as of yet?"

"Let's just say that our little investment's starting to pay off." The Nistarim looked around, as if he were afraid that someone was watching him.

"Show me."

The Nistarim pulled out a flip phone and started looking for something. Judas took that moment to look out across the water. He considered just taking the information and drowning the informant for kicks, but he decided against it. All things come to those who wait. Apparently. That’s what the Messiah had said at one point. Judas pushed the thought away. He didn’t want those memories clouding his judgment. The Nistarim handed him the phone. There was a long list of names and coordinates. These...these were the names of all the Nistarim. And their locations. Holy fucking shit!

"These are all verifiable, I gather?" Judas asked, trying his hardest to stay calm.

"I'd bet my life on it."

"That so?"

He nodded, and there wasn't any trace or hint of doubt. Good. "Huh. You're set on this."

"Set? Of course I'm set. I'm choosing the winning side to keep myself and my family safe after everything blows up."

"And Adam?" Judas mumbled as he sent the information to his android.

"Leah seems to keep him on a tight leash, but from what I can tell, there are still residual feelings between the two of them."

"Feelings?"

"Romantic feelings."

Judas' eyebrow shot skyward. Adam? Having romantic feelings for the bitch that killed his mate? Now that was something he never would've expected. Especially not from Adam. Then again, all the Alphas were pretty shocked when he fucked her the first time around. Maybe by screwing her a few more times, he could make her completely lose her grace. Maybe God would finally abandon her. That would make their plans so much smoother. After killing Leah, then they would get Adam to give them all the information he could on the Nistarim.

"How is she controlling him?"

"She's using an ancient Enochian seal called the Seal of the Servant," the Nistarim took his phone back and pulled up a picture of the seal on Adam's chest.

Judas whistled. "That's some pretty powerful shit."

"She can completely control him. The Seal also affects his thoughts to keep him from hurting or betraying her."

"Interesting. I'll have to let Lilith know about this. This kind of thing is right up her alley."

While Judas was texting Lilith, he decided to see if he could make the Nistarim uncomfortable. "What are you doing after this?"

"I'll be returning to the hostel where I'm staying."

"Why not meet some women? I'm sure you're still just as good with the ladies now as you were back in the day."

The Nistarim seemed ruffled. “I have a family.”

“You had that when you did it the first time too, but that didn’t stop you, did it?”

"I could kill you right now, you know?"

"But you won't." Judas pulled a pre-filled syringe out of his bag and waited. “You need another dose of the transmission blocking agent. That way the others won’t be able to hear what’s really going on here. Turn.”

The Nistarim grimaced but nodded despite his sour look. He pulled down the collar of his tshirt and arched his neck to the side. The needle would have to go in behind the right ear and just below the base of the skull. Judas took pleasure in shoving the needle in none-too-gently. He loved the wince that the Nistarim was unable to suppress. He couldn’t wait to kill the others.

* * *

 

Leah looked at herself in the reflection of the taxi cab's window, checking her reflection for the millionth time. She ran a hand through her curled hair, trying to tame the wild ringlets for the hundredth time that night. She really didn't do parties. Ganesh and Sabine invited her to an anniversary party in their home in India, and she couldn't refuse after falling off the grid without saying a word to them. She had to go. She also brought along Adam, who was scoffing and snorting at her as she picked at the sleeves of her green long sleeve A-line dress.

"Honestly, woman, stop fidgeting," he snapped. "You look fine."

Leah rolled her eyes. "I hate parties. They remind me of weddings.”

"What's wrong with weddings?" Adam paused. Anyone who knew who Leah was understood weddings were an awkward ordeal for her. It made her depressed and uncomfortable. "Sorry. Didn't think when I said that."

"It's fine," Leah muttered. "You didn't know."

* * *

 

The arid heat of the Haran air hit Leah like a rock as she reached the shade of a large olive tree she climbed up into despite the ornate clothing she wore. The light breeze did nothing to cool the sweat caused by her running. As soon as she was in the shade, she checked her clothes and then her hands. Her hands looked awful and dirty, but the dress was fine. That would be all that mattered to anyone today. At least her dress was fine. She buried her face in her lap and pleaded to God to wake her from this nightmare, this horror. She begged him not to let it be true.

"What made you climb all the way up there, sister? A snake?" Rachel asked with a smile as she looked at Leah from the ground.

Leah wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she would rather be far away, but she couldn't find the words. Rachel’s head dress collected the sun's light until Leah's eyes seemed to burn, and she had to look away. She didn’t want to see that smile that seemed to mock her even in her dreams.

"You look adorable, you know?" she said, eyes sparkling as she took in Leah’s attire. "So, what had you in such a hurry? One minute you were in the doorway of my dressing room, and in the next minute you had vanished."

"The shade is best here," Leah responded despondently. That was a lie. A big, big lie.

The two fell into silence after that.

In truth, Leah had just wanted to run, wanted to feel her breath as it burned her lungs, run until her body ached and she could be sure there was a heart somewhere in her chest. She wanted to get away. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to stand by her husband as he married her sister, the one he really loved. The one who's name fell from his lips when he had brief sex with Leah. Every nerve and bone was on edge today.

Leah hadn't realized Rachel left, and she didn't know how long she's been torturing herself thinking about this wedding. She did look up when she heard a familiar footfall coming in her direction: Jacob. He was wearing better clothes than what he wore when her father forced her to marry Jacob in secret. She had been so in love with him, so she thought she could make Jacob love her more than Rachel. She wanted to be happy. Wanted to make her father happy.

She was a fool.

"Leah, come. The ceremony will begin soon."

She went with him without a sound, trying not to cry as she followed his footsteps with her head down, staring at her sandaled feet. She followed Jacob under the chuppah and stood as still as she could without passing out. She was shaking as the guests began to say things and shift about. Rachel was coming. Leah's heart was pounding violently in her chest, and her breathing was shallow. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Leah felt Jacob prod her side, so she opened her eyes and held her head high. She saw his wide smile as Rachel stepped up next to him. For a moment, when she couldn't see Rachel, Leah could pretend that she was the one he was smiling for. She could pretend that he was happy to see her and her alone. Jacob's look of pure adoration made Leah's eyes moist and her throat dry. She was merely an outsider. Jacob could never love her. Rachel deserved him more than Leah ever could.

The ceremony itself went by quickly, the rabbi's words flowing in and out of her consciousness. As if to punish herself, Leah made note of every subtle glance, every brush of the fingers. Each gesture just chipped away at her façade.

"I do." Those words seemed to tear apart her heart. Jacob lifted her sister’s veil, and the kiss they shared was so sweet, so tender that Leah almost felt dirty for watching. Then they were walking away with Leah close behind, and the rustle of fabric was as deafening as the crowd that congratulated them.

As soon as the celebrations began, Leah left the wedding. She left for hers and Jacob's tent. As soon as she saw the beautiful bed chamber Jacob made for Rachel, Leah could no longer hold it in. She fell to the ground as tears ran down her face, salt water gathering at her lips as she gasped for air, her body wracking with sobs. Strands of hair fell in her face, sticking to her cheeks. With a surge of anger, Leah went to the tent Jacob was now calling "her tent" and ripped her wedding clothes and burned them. She never wanted to see them again.

* * *

 

Leah glanced at the clock on her phone as she helped herself out of the car--no thanks to Adam: seven o'clock on the dot. She really hated parties. But she knew Ganesh and Sabine were only trying to do a kind thing, and it would be impolite to not come. And so, with a long, bracing breath, she began to the climb up the smooth pavement steps to the house. God had truly blessed them in the financial department, as shown by their fancy home. The house was in the nicest part of town and had a view of the skyline. It was picturesque.

She and Adam stepped up onto the porch, reaching for the brass knocker. She could hear faint music inside, all classical in origin. Adam practically deflated like a balloon with relief. He loathed what most called "modern pop" music. He said it was just a bunch of zombie mating music because they couldn’t get it up otherwise.

"Yaha khulā hai!" (It's open)

Leah turned the handle of the doorknob, slipping inside. The room wasn't filled with people the way Leah might have expected. It seemed this was a gathering of only friends and family. Then Leah was suddenly steamrolled when the children barreled into her legs. Leah laughed and swung each of them and gave them a kiss and a bag of their favorite candy. She also gave them the four presents Adam was holding.

"Leah, you're spoiling my children to death!" Sabine laughed as she walked over to hug her. “They’ll be unruly if you continue.”

"It's a Naanii's job. Now, where's that baby of yours?"

"Here she is," Ganesh said as he cradled the infant.

Leah smiled brightly and took the baby. She could sense its distress as it was shifted about in between the switch, so she stroked her nose with her pinkie gently. She grinned when the baby calmed down and blinked open its big hazel eyes. She was gorgeous. She opened and closed her mouth as she stared at the lights up above. She loved looking at the shiny things. That was one of her abilities that hadn't been taken away. Leah could sense the feelings of an infant.

She cradled her and looked up finally at Ganesh and his wife. "She's precious. What's her name?"

"We named her Dinah."

Leah paused as tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. They named their child after her baby girl. Her little Di. Leah offered the baby back with shaky hands and wiped her eyes of the moisture that was collecting there. She often tried to block the memories of her children out. They were just too painful to bear. "Thank you very much. You have truly honored me by doing this."

"And who's the guest you brought?"

Leah motioned for Adam to join her, and he stepped forward. Ganesh paled only slightly when he saw the familiar face. He knew about the sealing, but he probably didn't expect her to bring him with her to India. It was better that she had an eye on him. Sabine knew nothing about this, so she eagerly shook his hand and welcomed him to her home. She asked what his relationship to Leah was, and Leah quickly responded by saying they were just good friends. She explained that Adam's wife recently died, and she thought he could use a night out. That part was actually partially true. When he didn't have something to do, he'd start brooding.

Sabine was giving Leah a look before whispering something in her ear while kissing her cheek. “He’s a keeper.”

Leah and Adam walked around the house, pretending to drink wine. Then they noticed couples beginning to dance. Leah even saw Ganesh and Sabine dancing. Soon they were the only two not dancing except for the singles standing in the kitchen with the baby and the food. The music suddenly changed to Presley's "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." She sighed and took a drink of the red wine before discreetly spitting it into a potted plant beside her.

Something cold brushed Leah's hand, and she looked up quickly in surprise, her breath catching when she saw Adam's gloved hand on hers while he glared at the floor. Leah blushed and locked her jaw. His fingers slipped around her wrist, guiding her to the dancing couples with surprisingly gentle strength. He sat their drinks on a nearby table and pulled her into a corner where there was some space.

"Adam, what are you doing?" Leah asked, doing nothing to stop him.

"We look like a couple of zombie dumbasses just standing here," he huffed. "Might as well at least try to fit in. Isn’t that what you Nistarim are supposed to be good at?"

Adam drew her close so that their chests were pressed together; his arm slid around her waist while he took her other hand into his. So they would be waltzing. Leah's arm instinctively went around his neck, making them both look away for a moment. Leah hadn't ever seen Adam dance, but he had several thousand years to practice. Surely he had danced at some point. He was really quite good. He deftly spun her as the music continued. Leah pulled Adam closer and laid her head on his shoulder. Something about this just made her remember that day. That night. All those years after that were filled with so much pain. She fought to keep the tears at bay as she hid her face in Adam’s neck. She was so pathetic.

 _Leah..._ Adam spoke through the Seal.

_Don't._

_I'm sorry._

_No need. It's all in the past._

_It doesn't make it any less painful. Trust me. I understand .I’m the one that let the entire world get like this. I hear people blame me…blame my first wife. Then I killed her on accident. I’m reminded of it every fucking day. I get it._

_Adam…_

Suddenly one of Adam's cold hands was against Leah's cheek, delicately tilting her head towards his. His lips were close to her ear, his cold breath ghosting across her skin as he sang the next line in the a soft voice.

"For I can't help falling in love with you."

Leah's eyelids fluttered shut as tears slid down her cheeks. Then she felt Adam's cool lips pressing against hers, gentle and careful, as though he were handling something delicate and fragile. She could feel his tears mingling with hers. They weren’t dancing anymore. They were just standing there in that corner, trying to heal each other’s pain.

* * *

 

Eve often told Adam how much she loved the way he would explain things. She said she loved how he moved his hands and connected them with hers as he did. She said she loved him. She was gone now though. It crushed him every time he thought about it, but he couldn't help himself. It was selfish and destructive. He should've been ashamed of himself, but right then and there, he couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't want to feel anything other than the pleasure Leah could give him right then in that hotel room.

"A-Adam."

Her voice made every fiber of his body tighten. He shoved her more harshly into the wall, enjoying the sound she made when the breath was knocked out of her lungs. He could hear the crack of one of her vertebrae. He enjoyed the feeling of her ribs and sternum giving way under his hands; it made him feel powerful again. His fingers locked against her clit in harsh movements as she laid her head on his shoulder, panting like a fucking bitch in heat. Her body bucked into him as she rode out her climaxes while Adam continued to manipulate her sensitive spots.

"A-Adam, wait," she choked with a struggling breath. He felt her reaching for the seal as a panic button, so he used a gentler grasp on her and removed his fingers from her core.

Adam looked at the two of them in a mirror next to them. They looked quite debauched in their current state. Leah's nails had drawn blood on his back and tore through his shirt and vest. There were bite marks littering his neck and chest that matched the ones on her skin. Leah's dress was in a tattered pool at their feet. She was all black curls, purplish bruises and swollen lips. It made his cock harden just thinking of fucking her again. He pressed her further into the wall with his weight, making the crack in the dry wall grow and splinter.

"Bed," she gasped. “The bed.”

"I'm fucking you on the floor. Easier," he said pinning her to the cheap carpet roughly, making her hips crack under his.

"Take me...give me everything you have," she demanded, one hand traveling down between them and gripping the head of his cock.

“Fuck.” His mouth darted up to cover her lips. She welcomed it, fingers traveling into his for-once-combed hair, pulling against it and scraping her nails against his scalp. He could feel blood dripping down his neck. This all felt like war with no room for air. It was fucking great.

She grabbed his neck then. “I’m not any of your wives. Know when we do this, it’s me, not them. I’m not here to replace anyone or be your stand in for Eve.”

He growled. "I know."

She caged him with her legs as he guided himself into her. As soon as the head pressed in, he slammed his hips up, making her scream and dig her claws into his already mangled back and shoulders. He knew she hadn't been with anyone after that time in Paris, but fuck was she tight. He clamped his jaw shut on her shoulder and felt that glorious elixir drain down his throat. It didn’t affect him as strongly as it once did. If anything, it made him stronger. He slammed into her like a madman, and she just held on for the ride. Over and over, he screwed her into a semi state of submission as she came down his cock, wetting their legs and filling the air with the smell of sex.

Everything about her was fire and war and pain. Adam had never felt so alive before. This wouldn't end well, but he could care less.


	17. Chapter 17

Bang! Cut.

Run again.

Dodge. Jump. Swerve.

Kill…

Leah's vision was limited by the blood dripping from her glasses. It was the blood of a Jezeblian as she tore one of them apart while they were still regenerating. It was like a cool splash of water against her face. This was getting to be too tedious. Every time she killed one of them by ripping them apart, another one would regenerate. The only way this would work was if she could get the bastards to stop regenerating. She needed to get to her coat closet. That was where she kept the tainted blood hidden. Three more jumped at her, ready to kill or die. She was at her limit. Frowning, she raised her machete as her bone protrusions extended and started hacking and draining.

She cut the first one's hand off while pressing her shard into its chest. Blood oozed into her system and started amping up her own healing. She ducked and spun on the ball of her foot and sliced the Achillies tendon of the second, still draining the first. The third was decapitated as she rose back to her feet. Run, she needed to run. Leah darted down the hall and rounded the corner. There! She cut down a vampire as it walked out into the hall from a side room.

When she got to the closet, she used her machete to unlock the case filled with tainted blood. She broke the first vial and poured it over her machete. That would keep them down. Next, she got out the tainted darts and started loading them into a dart gun. Before she went back out onto the battlefield, she took a quick self-inventory. Blood covered almost her entire body. Her blade and the gun felt heavy. She tried to catch her breath despite the fact that it hurt for her chest to expand. These assholes would pay.

It had been an ambush. Leah and Adam had just returned from a wild goose chase concerning Lilith in Istanbul. They were both tired and needing personal time away from each other. It didn’t matter if they were lovers or enemies. They needed some alone time to rest. As the sun was sinking, Leah was in her study reading and listening to Tchaikovsky. Adam was likely asleep, but she hadn’t wanted to even look into his mind. Those asses snuck in through the backdoor and changed everyone on the first floor. They changed every one of the workers. Every one of those innocent people she recklessly endangered by hiring them and exposing them to her world.

She knew nothing until she smelled the blood. At first she thought it was just a little accident. Those were common. Then she heard someone running towards her. Avner slammed the door open, panting and bleeding from the neck. He was panicked and turning pale white. He said that someone had broken in, and that’s all he managed to get out when a vampire slammed into him. They bit into his neck as they collided into him and pushed him out of her view. For a while, Leah didn’t know what had just happened. She was in shock. She never imagined someone would actually attack her home. That wasn’t the vampires’ MO. They usually tried to steer clear of the Nistarim.

When she stepped out into the hall and saw that look in Avner’s eyes, she snapped into action. She woke Adam with the seal and unlocked his second seal while ripping the vampire in front of her apart. By the time she got to Avner, he was already dead. His face was frozen with fear. Leah laid her head on his chest and cried. This was her fault. She had done this.

Leah felt rather than saw her next attacker when she shut the closet door and pushed the memories from her head. Someone managed to fit their claws under a door, tearing her calf open. She grunted as she fell and the attacker burst through the door in a spray of wood. She gripped their arm and rolled down the stairs, using that momentum to rip the arm from its socket. Leah plunged her protrusion into its chest and fed until it was dry. She slit the throat with tainted blood and watched as the skin around the wound began to erode.

She jumped away from her last victim and landed in a crouch. She saw someone walking her way. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly stood her whole height. Her glare was intense, burning. "Quit stomping around my home. If you're going to attack, at least pretend to have some sense!"

The vampire came out of the dark. It was Channah, likely the perpetrator of all this. She was Jezebel's left hand and she was one of the most evil vampires Leah had met to date. She grinned as she dropped the limb she was feeding from with a dull thud. It was the limb of one of the children that lived there with their family.

"Ah!" she laughed and smiled. "You're still here. Oh, I'm so glad I got to see you again, Leah...so I could use this." She reached behind her and pulled out a gun.

“Go ahead. That can’t hurt me.”

Channah shrugged and fired off a single round. It hit Leah in the leg. Her vision went white, and she felt the fires of hell licking through her veins. She could practically feel her skin blackening and blistering around the small injury. With a scream she fell on the ground and clutched the wound close to her chest. She could hear Channah laughing at her, but it sounded so distant.

“Pretty cool, huh?” she asked as she kicked Leah onto her back. “Lilith and I have been working on this little guy for a while. We melted a black khopesh down and made bullets. You can’t believe how many Nistarim we put down with this bad boy.”

Leah groaned, unable to do much else.

“Let’s see. Where will I shoot next?” she asked herself. Within seconds, she pulled the trigger three times.

Leah quit breathing. She tasted blood in the back of her throat from the bullet that grazed her lung. She coughed as she rolled onto her side. Then she started to seize. She felt like she was in a cage during an earthquake. She had no control. All she could do was hold on as fire flooded through her veins and possessed her. She could hear laughing as she heard someone walking close to her.

“Get the fuck away from her, bitch.”

“Oh, Adam. Good news! I’m about to break that little collar she’s got you tied up in.”

Leah only saw black, and she heard nothing else but grunting and loud snarls and screams. Breathing was becoming harder, and her body was going numb. She was going into shock. It would probably kill her. When she managed to open her eyes, Adam was standing over her. He knelt down and held her head on his lap. She tried to talk, but he covered her mouth.

“Shut up, Leah. Don’t talk. Where’s that med kit?”

“My room. Black case. 1245.”

Adam rested Leah’s head on the hard carpet before running up faster than she could see. She could feel the warmth leaving her body through the floor. As she shut her eyes, something was ripping open her shirt.

“I’m going to get these bullets out. Hold still.”

Leah screamed as he used his icy cold claws to dig around in the wound. She started throwing up blood, aspirating on it. Adam swore as he continued his work while turning her head to the side. She was unable to think as he used water to clean the injuries before calling someone. Leah thought that would be a good time to rest her eyes. He smacked her awake.

“Stay up, dumb bitch. Joseph said he’s nearby and headed this way. Just stay awake.”


	18. Chapter 18

Leah hadn't seen light in a long time. How long, she had no idea. Days melted together into one long blur of pain and falling in and out of consciousness. Her body shook from the shock of her injuries and from the pain of those that were still healing ever so slowly. They'd drained her of blood, making it difficult for her body to heal itself. They were using that blood probably mixed with tainted blood to keep Adam in a coma so he couldn't fight or try to bust her out. She didn't even know where he was on the ship. She didn’t know where she was on the ship.

This all started when they got on a cruise ship in London. They'd gotten a lead on the captain who may have been a vampire. They were going to test out the theory while taking a little vacation at the same time. Leah had been in a funk since the loss of her home and the semi-family she had made there. She was also still recovering from her gunshot wounds. They'd just laid down for a post coital nap when they smelled the blood and heard the intense screaming from above. Leah didn't even have time to respond until the weight of the pain of the world suddenly intensified tenfold. She screamed and curled in on herself, trembling violently. She could hardly move. It was like an elephant was sitting on her chest. Someone busted in then and broke hers and Adam's necks. It would take them both at least ten minutes to heal. That's how she'd gotten them into this dilemma.

Leah clutched her hands to her face, her body covered in cuts and dried blood. Her body shook from the pain in her head and the pain in her body. They'd tortured her, slicing and cutting, taking off fingernails and fingers. Everything was slowly growing back, but she still felt all the intense pain. In one session, they'd pulled out all of her teeth, one by one, slowly, until they were all gone, blood pouring over her chin, tears streaming down her cheeks. In another session they'd gone for her eyes. They never asked her questions though. They were just getting their rocks off.

She slept fitfully, and only when she gave into exhaustion or the pain became too much and her body automatically shut down. Pain and screams filled her head as she dozed, the faces of the dead and ill and depressed all swirling around and never resting. She saw an albino child in Africa being gutted and the parts sold to a witch doctor so they could use the parts. A man was holding his dead wife after a drowning accident. There was an elderly wife watching her husband wither away into Alzheimer's. It was like this every time she closed her eyes, so she tried to keep them open as much as possible.

She heard the door open, and a faceless person walked in. She tensed, readying herself for the intense pain of a knife or a hot poker. Nothing happened. Wincing out of habit, she glanced up to see two others carrying something large into the room, dumping it on the ground in front of her. Once they'd dropped it with a thud, they left, leaving Leah with the large, lumpy shape on the floor. In the dim light, she couldn't make out a steady rise and fall. Leah inched forward slowly, careful to gently roll the body over onto its back.

"Abel?!"

One eye opened and the other was swollen shut. "L-Leah? W-What's going on?" he groaned as he sat up with some assistance. She probably looked worse than he did based on the way he was gawking at her.

"I don't know. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was having a late lunch...with my wife."

"Do you know where we are?"

"They're taking us to a desert in Israel."

Leah tensed and stood slowly. Surely they couldn't be taking them there. That would start a war unlike anything the world had yet seen. Surely they didn't have the numbers and power to undergo such a mission. Leah started using her fingers to blindly search the walls. She couldn't see anything, and Abel was too beat up to be of any real assistance. It was a Saturday, meaning he was at his weakest. Leah froze. If this was really a ploy to force the Apocalypse, then this had all been planned.

"What are you doing?" he asked hoarsely.

"Looking for a weapon. They'll be back for one of us, or they'll bring in another Nistarim," she said as she searched from top to bottom. "Once that door opens, I intend to get out. I’m not staying here to see what they have in store for us."

Then she heard something odd. A cough. That wasn't her or Abel; that sounded like...David. If they already had three in one little room, they could already have all of them on one little boat. Leah took a few uneasy, limping steps and reached out with her right hand as if she were blind. She heard someone stand and could hear the sound of bare feet padding in her direction. They were slow, and one was heavier. Whoever it was, they were limping. Then a warm, gooey hand grasped hers.

"David?"

"Indeed," he said shakily. “It’s me.”

"Are you bleeding?"

"I can't tell," he said as he lowered himself onto the ground.

"What happened...to my father?" Abel managed. "Does he yet live, Leah?"

"The men who brought you in were Adamites, so he must be,” David inserted. “I don’t think they want to hurt him.”

Leah continued to search, and as she did, she began reaching through the seal. At first she tried just whispering into his thoughts, trying to evoke any kind of response. Nothing. Then she tried being a bit more harsh. Again, there was nothing. Leah lastly tried to evoke the pain response. Not even a subconscious murmur. Leah sighed and sat for a moment. She needed to try and wake Adam, get him to let her out if not more.

* * *

 

Something was wrong. Something had happened. The last thing Adam remembered was being in bed with Leah. He tried to move, but he was paralyzed. Nothing was happening. He was surrounded by darkness. He heard a sound and tried to turn. He couldn’t. A mirror image of him, shirtless and covered in blood walked up in front him. The look in the things eyes looked demonic. He should know. He’d been face to face with the father of lies once before. He noticed the seal wasn’t present on its chest though like it was on his.

“You should kill her. Kill her for taking away our precious mate. Leah will only use you, and then she’ll leave you to fester and rot.”

"Shut up.”

"Oh...you always want to hear it from me. After all, I'm your only friend. I’m the one you go to when you think of Eve and remember what you once had."

“I said shut up!”

“I know you, Adam. Because I am you. I’m the you that is always waiting to pounce.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”


	19. Chapter 19

Leah came too groggily at first, but after a moment or two she could feel her head slowly clearing. She didn't know how long it had been since she'd passed out in that dark room, but judging by how hungry she was, she'd guess it had been at least a day…maybe two. She was chained to the ceiling, and her arms and legs ached. She shakily got up to her feet and shuddered as her fingers regained feeling and her shoulders ached as they rolled back into the sockets. It felt like ten thousand needles.

She craned her head to get a look at her surroundings, but she didn't get much. There was a cabinet to the right, a table behind her, three chairs and a rolling cart. None of it told her anything about the ones who were attacking the Nistarim. She took stock of herself next, craning her neck to get a good self-evaluation. She was still in her shredded sleep clothes which consisted of Adam's shirt and a pair of spandex shorts. She was hardly decent. Leah tried to look up at the ceiling for a vent or other way out, but her vision was blocked by a flood light beaming down on her, and her lack of glasses made it harder to see as is.

Then she caught sight of something in the upper right corner. It was only about an inch in diameter, small and black and circular and had a blinking red light. A camera. Leah casually looked away, making sure not to make eye contact with it again. With any luck, whoever was watching the feed either hadn't seen her brief glance or assumed she was just scanning the room. The real question was, were they just monitoring her, or did they have other plans? Just as she thought that, a young woman of about nineteen and an older male came in. They moved forward to examine her, brushing their hands over her shoulders, chest and aching arms. Then the hands were slipping lower to her waistband.

"Hey, at least buy me a drink first," she managed to rasp.

"You're not here to drink."

"What am I here for then? Tea? Dinner? Did I win the lottery?"

"To unlock the gates to a new era." The man patted Leah's cheek though it felt more like a slap. "The blood of Men will drain out with your blood. I wonder, just how much can a Nistarim bleed?"

Leah stayed silent.

"I'll be back for you later."

The man left after that, leaving Leah alone with the woman. Leah didn't struggle in his absence. She was on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic headed for Israel. There was nowhere to run. Only an idiot would try to swim away, and hiding out on the ship would be a failure in the making. She kept silent, observing the situation.

"I guess you're ready for me?" It was the woman this time, short and thin and sounding young. "No answer? Don't you want to say hello? You're being very impolite."

Leah grinned.

The woman ran her knuckles over her cheek before slapping her. Leah made no sound, no indication of pain, though her glove had a metal spikes on the palm that stung like ten thousand bee stings. "We're going to have lots of fun; I can tell. Have you got a lover at home, dolly? Am I making them jealous?"

Leah's expression didn't change.

"Maybe your little slave boy, Adam?" she cupped Leah's chin in one hand.

She didn't react.

"Don't you want to know my name?"

Leah smirked. "Your name is Natalia Rotjenka, changed during the time of the Soviet Union after your femoral artery was grazed by a bullet. Your lover changed you to save your life, but you hated him so much for it that you killed him in return. You now work for your Alpha Barabbas and aid the Alpha Lilith in experimentation. You had eight children and two different husbands. None of your children survived to adulthood because you killed every. Single. One."

"My, my...you're better than I expected. They said you were the most terrifying, but I never expected this. It's about time we get started. Before I start shivering in my boots,” she winked.

She dropped a pair of whips at Leah's feet, reaching to her leg and unsheathing a long hunting knife. She ran it down Leah's chest, slicing her shirt and bra open and leaving a trail of blood on her chest. The woman pushed back her shirt, leaving her chest bare. She started carving out looping, swirling patterns across her chest. Leah thought she felt her drawing a flower too. It stung like hell, but the knife was sharp and the pain wasn't as bad as it could've been had the knife been dull. Leah bit down and jerked every once in a while but otherwise stayed as motionless as she could.

"Anything you want to tell me before we get started? Last words?"

"When I get out, I'm going to kill you."

"So morbid. You're no fun at all." She retrieved a wire whip, caressing it like one might stroke a cat.

She lashed forward, the wire cutting into Leah's skin right across her previous lacerations. Leah couldn't help the hiss of pain. She watched as off-white blood dripped down her torso as it welled up from beneath her skin. She wasn't going to be healing anytime soon. Truthfully, she was surprised she even bled at all after the last few sessions with Lilith. The vampire lashed out again, two fast, smooth strokes. They struck her across the arms and chest and gut. Other than a small wince, she didn't react. Leah just tucked her head in and clenched her jaw. By now, other Nistarim would be checking out on reality to seek God's soothing presence. Sadly, Leah didn't have that luxury.

"High pain tolerance, hm? I was right; you are going to be fun."

She grit her teeth as she went to work on her back next with the wire whip, each lash drawing more blood than the last. Each strike whizzed through the air, the crack of it against her skin seemed to be deafened by the pain. If she cried out after that breaking point, she didn't know. She just closed her eyes and went somewhere else. She thought of Adam. The way his lips got a little bit of a quirk at the corner when he'd look up at her through long lashes with mischief engrained in his eyes. That look of rage he got whenever they pissed each other off. That look of melancholy when she knew he thought of Eve. Pain burned through her then, drawing her away from thoughts of Adam, the hard sting of metal slicing through her neck and bringing her rather abruptly back to reality with a gasp.

"Trying to ignore me, are we?"

Then she was prodding at Leah’s wounds with pointed, manicured nails, wiggling the tip under her skin in ways that made her writhe in anguish. She bit her lip until it bled, her nails digging into the palms of her hands until she finally let go and screamed. The further under his skin the nails twisted, the louder Leah screamed. She screamed and screamed until her head hurt and her throat was raw and her vision went out in a flash. All she could see was darkness. It reminded her of Adam. He was her own personal rain cloud, giving her vitality when he thought she needed it. She usually did. She thought of the way Adam snorted off things like praise and compliments, side-stepping them with a snarky remark or a self-depreciating eye roll. He craved them though, and Leah could see it in the childlike hopefulness he displayed sometimes. It was rare. But that just made it all the more precious.

Leah was brought back to reality with a sharp snap, a ferocious pain blooming in the back of her skull. The vampire had her by the hair. She used the butt of her whip to crack her skull. Leah could feel the blood dripping down the back of her neck, and her vision went blurry. She dry heaved for some time and went slack, trying to allow her body a respite.

"I thought I fucking said not to ignore me."

She didn't so much as pause in her strikes, the whip already cracking against the flesh of Leah's chest once more. She tried to lose herself again, but before she could even begin, the wire was slicing across her face. One of them hooked into her eyelid, ripping it open. Leah couldn't help herself; she let out a choked, guttural shout. The blow had thrown her head to the side, and Leah looked at the floor for the first time since the whipping had begun.

Blood pooled under her, thick and shimmering. Leah swallowed as thickly as the blood soaking her numb feet, and gave a dry cough that sent pain spiraling through her ribs. She hung limply, no strength to lift her head again. No, she just watched the blood with morbid fascination.

"Time for a break I guess. I'm being paged."

The vampire didn't see it, but Leah was smiling. Smiling and crying.


	20. Chapter 20

Somehow, by the grace of God alone, all the Nistarim managed to escape after being dragged to the hilly fields of Akeldama. Abel and Abishag somehow managed to take down their Adamite guards and abusers with makeshift daggers of wood they sawed off a cabinet in their holding cell. They were moving as quickly and quietly as they could, but they knew it was only a matter of time before at least some of them were hunted down like wild animals. They would try to get as many to safety as possible. Now, they were running for their lives as quickly and quietly as possible.

They ran until Abel's lungs burned in his chest, until his legs buckled and faltered with each step. Each breath was like acid spreading through his chest until his blood pounded against his temples and his vision swam. Abel turned his head slightly when he heard yelling and gunshots going off in the distance. They’d been found out. Now the true chase had begun.

"Quickly, they've found us out,” Abishag snapped.

Abel shifted Leah, who he was carrying on his back. She had taken more pain than the rest of them. Mostly it was because she wasn't healing and she was unable to call upon God for the escape they had. She had to be dragged off the ship while the others helped each other into the moving van they were locked inside. Leah's breathing was shallow and wispy. She probably had a punctured lung. She was too weak to hold onto him, so they had to tie her hands together around his neck to make sure he wouldn’t drop her.

Finally, they were able to see the lights of the city. "Quickly, hide under this ledge! They’re coming this way!" David yelled.

Abel lay Leah down next to the other two who were unable to run for themselves. Abel and the others began to gasp for air as they began planning what to do next. They couldn't afford to leave the severely wounded behind. They were too low in number as it was and they couldn't risk losing any others. Abel suddenly noticed something. David's thoughts...they were of such odd things. Like of his favorite food and what his next sermon would be over. Maybe that was just his way of coping.

Abel looked over to Japeth as he cradled a bleeding shoulder, white puss seeping from the cauterized, charred edges of the wound in a nauseating display. His eyes were clouded in pain, and it was clear that he only remained upright due to Esther who was currently allowing him to lean his weight on her slim shoulders. All of them looked beat up to some degree. Some were healing quicker than others. Abel for instance had the skin on his back peeled off, but he was already healed for the most part.

"Alright, so we have a plan, yes?"

They all nodded.

Abel quickly lifted Leah back onto his back. She weakly helped to pull herself up, but for the most part, she was dead weight. Her breath was hot and moist against his already sweat drenched neck. She was shaking and her head lolled forward onto his neck. She groaned as he shifted her and hooked his arms under her legs.

"A-Abel," she hissed weakly.

"What?"

"There is...a traitor. Among us."

Those words sapped the strength from his bones. "How do you know this?"

"Look. I don’t have the…energy to explain it all."

Abel looked into her mind as they continued to run. She had a lot of evidence...too much evidence. It was enough to make his steps falter, nearly sending both he and Leah into the dust. Perhaps she was just overthinking this. How could a Nistarim betray them? But still, the seed was planted and Abel became much more cautious about who he got near and spoke to. He looked behind him to David and Abishag. They were definitely off the list. Perhaps Japeth? Esther maybe?

"Do you know who?"

"I think...it's-"

Suddenly, there was a loud thunk and a huge amount of force on his back. Leah groaned and pulled him down onto the ground. He unhooked her from around his neck and looked at her. There was a huge bear hunting arrow with massive hooks embedded in her spine. She was seizing and urinating on herself. The nurons were likely severed from the waist down.

"I thought we'd have more time," Abishag panted as they came to a stop. David and Japeth were hit too.

The fear was a twisted thing, sneaking up on them and crawling up their spine before they ever realized it was there, blossoming like a sick weed in their minds and hearts. "Where are they coming from?"

"I can't tell."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the earth rumbled beneath their feet, the surface of the ground swooshing down and leaving them airborne for a split second before it rushed back up to meet their feet. They stumbled and lurched. An earthquake. They were preparing the gates of Hell to be ripped wide open. Arrows came from all sides then. Abel covered his vitals and crouched, somehow able to not be hit anywhere vital by the shower. They were trapped.

Then Abel saw them. The remaining four Alphas along with an army of vampires. Despair seemed to claw up his throat like a clawed monster from within, choking him as he stared, stifling the very air he breathed as he stared at the devil spawn. The fear slithered within his stomach like a worm, paralyzing his muscles, coiling between them and pulling them taut.

"They shouldn't have been able to find us so quickly."

"Astute observation," Lilith clapped. "Alright, get up and take a bow. Come on, don't be shy. I’m getting tired of this game of cloak and dagger.”

Abel watched in horror as David, the man after God's own heart, slowly stood and took off the bloody shirt he wore. On his chest, he wore a bulletproof vest and another shirt under that. Leah was suddenly grasping Abel's leg weakly. She was looking at David in disbelief too. How could he? He was like their leader. The one they all aspired to be. Tears filled his vision. They were betrayed by the one closest to them.

"How...?" Leah breathed.

"You should join us Leah. You above all people should be given a chance at mercy in the new world we intend to bring about." David knelt beside her. “We can heal you. Make sure you never have to feel pain again.”

Leah hacked blood. "Ani Cwuph kumuw Alwhim mekh awthk lekdur harc cm hanxf dot." (I'll watch as God strikes you down, snake.)

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Alright, round them up. We’ve got an apocalypse to start.”


	21. Chapter 21

Leah could feel the gag cutting into her face, causing her lips to crack. She couldn't do anything about it though. None of them could. She grimaced as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position as she rested on her knees. It wasn't working; if anything, it was making the pain worse. She was beginning to gain more of her consciousness back the longer they stayed out in the desert sun. The only problem was that she really didn’t want to be conscience. Especially for what was coming.

Abel's shoulder was pressed into hers; she could feel Esther shaking a little beside her. All the others were there too, including that bastard traitor David. He wasn't tied up on his knees though. He was busy guarding them while the vampires chatted away somewhere else while hissing into radios. The Alphas would be coming in on a chopper with their most prestigious followers.

Warmth nudged against her shoulder. It was Abel, not looking at her but instead squirming in place, checking their surroundings, looking for a way out. The contact gave her some comfort as she began to panic. She appreciated it, but when the khopesh came out there was no quelling her sheer terror. They walked up to the Nistarim on the far left. They grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, leaving his neck open to attack. Leah clenched her eyes shut when she saw the khopesh coming down. She could hear intense screaming followed by the gurgle of blood in the windpipe. She was getting nauseous. Esther was already throwing up.

Death walked down the line in the form of a demonic weapon wielding vampire. Leah looked over at David and studied him. There was something in his eyes that she didn't like. They were cold. There was nothing there...just a calmness that was terrifying. Leah hated the bastard with a passion. She wanted to tear his throat out and let the demons finish him off in Hell where he belonged. Chewing on the gag, she watched him closely, very aware of his position. He was so calm, like this was easy for him.

“Tell me, Leah," David said, pulling her gag out and holding a khopesh. His hand was bare. So, he had truly fallen from God's grace. He was less than human. Soon his body would begin to grey and rot off his bones. He would start trying to use the flesh of others to cover himself. "How do we break the seal you’ve got on Adam?"

She said nothing.

David huffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm trying to help you out, you know. If you do what I ask, I bet I can get them to let you live."

There was no answer. Leah would be keeping her cards close to her chest, thank you very much.

Suddenly the khopesh was flying towards Abel. Leah moved to protect him with her body, making the blade plunge into her shoulder instead, digging in beside her collarbone. The pain hit her like a smack to the mouth. Like a punch. A sudden burst that rocked her to her very core, making the breath leave her in a loud scream. She began to lean, losing her balance and colliding into Abel since she could do nothing more than stare at the hilt pulling away from her shoulder. She was breathing heavy, panting and unable to draw her eyes away from the bubbling wound. She could feel Able leaning into her, practically holding her up as she screams in pain and horror of what just happened.

“You...you want me to wake him up?! Fine! I'll wake him up.” Leah took a deep, shaky breath. "Releasing control art restriction levels three, two, one, zero. Approval of situation alpha epsilon theta recognized. Commencing Cromwell invocation. All restrictions released."

The sound of helicopters was getting stronger. Leah looked up wearily. There were three of them. What if she'd been too late? She was feeling no response from Adam. Had they killed him? Then she felt it. It was like the winds of a hurricane, forcing her mind and body to brace inwardly. Had he always had such power? No. This was a combination of what she’d been feeding into him and his own power. Then she noticed something. One of the helicopters was swerving. Then it rammed into one of the other two. They both when down like birds being shot from the sky. In a cloud of smoke and fire they fell, and the ground shook.

Leah smiled. "Happy now?" she asked as the darkness started swirling through her vision. She was getting so tired.

Then there were gunshots. Leah tensed, and Abel tensed beside her. Then more gunshots and something trembling in the ground. Then another explosion and screams on the wind. Leah fell onto her back, groaning from the pain and the feeling of sand collecting in her wound. The trough hid David from her view, but she could hear him, hear the panic, the terror of the unknown. Good.

Abel was moving fast with a fire in his eyes she hadn't seen in years. Soon the two vampires guarding them were dead, stabbed through the heart by a shard of wood he’d kept hidden somehow. She’d have to ask about that later…if she made it. He untied everyone else and then knelt over her.

“Don’t move, Leah.”

"H-How many of us...of us are left?"

"Thirty-four."

Leah paled. "W-What?"

"I don’t understand it either. The gates should've opened by now. The Fallen Ones should've been unleashed. I’m not going to sit here complaining about it though," he said as he tore off his sleeve and started making a tourniquet.

"We have to get to-"

"Hush, the others are joining the fight."

"I need to help, I-" She was so tired.

"Leah? Leah?! Leah, stay with me! Leah!"

* * *

 

In the Halls of the Great Kingdom known to mortals as Heaven, among the tapestries woven by the saints, there walked a young woman of plain beauty. The story of the world and all creation was strewn out on the tapestries that flowed like water on the winds and felt like air to the touch. At last she stood where the tapestry began foretelling the future. She mourned what she beheld, but it wasn't a deep sadness. It was a great pitying. It told of the last stand of the Nistarim. She could only see to where the Firstborn stood over a field littered with bodies and smoke as he searched for something. Then she felt a large, scarred hand touch her shoulder, and in a voice tempered with the sorrow of many ages it spoke.

"You are troubled, Leah."

Leah looked back and saw the tell-tale scars on the male wrist. It was Immanuel. "Yes."

"Will you not tell me of these things that furrow your brow? For you have walked long among the shadows of the world, and you have borne many cares upon your shoulders. Yet of the things most recent you are most mindful."

"I have failed, and my task is left unfinished. I fear for that which shall come."

"Have you failed?" His voice was gentle.

"Yes. A greater servant, a wiser counselor, would surely have seen what lay in my heart and called it unholy. A more powerful warrior might have survived these long millennia. I could have ended the eldest line of all Collectors, and yet I let him live. I cared for him. I…loved him. Like an idiot."

The hand rested gently on her own. "Failed?" His voice was tinged with amusement. "This was all a part of the great plan. You may be yet unable to see the rest of the tapestry, but I have seen it. My Father has foretold and allowed it. Do you think my Father makes mistakes?"

"What?" Leah's eyes widened as she looked up and turned six shades whiter. "No, of course not. Never. But had I not failed-"

He stopped her. "Had you not made the choices you did, the End would be upon us. It is not yet time. My Father has not chosen this day to call His people home."

"Then...there are still thirty-five Nistarim?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You carry that answer within you, where new life grows."

Leah paused. Was He saying...? Surely not. A vampire and a Nistarim? That should've been impossible. Then again...nothing was impossible for the one that created both species. "You are saying...that...that I carry the thirty-fifth?"

"Yes. The children of all Nistarim will take their parents' place...should the need arise."

Leah frowned. "But I am here. If I am here, won't both I and the child die?"

"You have not yet passed through the Gates. You will yet live."

* * *

 

There was noise, dark patches over her vision and she was blinking a lot, trying to listen to what was happening and very aware of how close Abel was. “Leah! Stay with me! You’ve got to stay awake. Stay awake Leah!”

"The battle?"

"It’s almost over. Here, drink," he said, offering some of his own blood. Leah barely had the strength to swallow, but she felt much better when she did. Abel pulled her up onto his knees so she could see her surroundings. Many of the Nistarim were on the ground…but still alive. Leah searched for a single being, but she couldn’t find him.

"Adam?"

"He's still fighting. I don't know what you did, but you must never do it again. He's like a beast of Hell."

Leah could feel as strips of something scratchy were wrapped around her, a belt looped over her shoulder and under her arm, adding pressure and pressure and pressure until blood ceased to leak down her chest when Abel finally managed to sit her up. Abel's fingers tightened over her wrist, slinging her halfway over his shoulder and starting to half drag, half support her to a safer location. Clenching her fingers into a fist, Leah tried to pull away, wanting not to be a hindrance.

"Where are you taking my female?"

Both Abel and Leah froze. That voice was…unearthly in all forms. Leah took the knife in Abel's hand and swung. If that was Adam, he was now one of the strongest creatures on Earth. By unleashing the final Seal, she set him loose with all that built up power she restricted. All the power he had was both his and hers. A horrible, deadly mix. If he perceived Abel as a threat, he would kill him. Abel turned and Leah saw him. It was like he was ensconced in a black shadow. Like he wore Death as a robe.

"Abel," Leah whispered. "Put me down...slowly."

"No, you're hurt. I can't-"

"If you don't, he'll kill you. I'm can’t control him. He's gotten too strong."

Abel nodded and slowly laid her on the ground. He stepped back and Adam came forward. Instead of kneeling though, he pressed his foot into her injury. She gasped and stabbed him with her bone shards. She started draining him, trying to make him weaker. The blood she consumed burned like acid and made her muscles spasm. Leah grunted and Adam fell forward on top of her. That's all she remembered as she shut her eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

Leah lay comfortably in her bed, the smooth silk sheets wrapped around her in a warm embrace. Her head was turned away from the windows that night. She usually slept facing it, but earlier she had been sore from breast feeding on that side. The moon's red glow shone through the window, reminding her of her adventures before she had her now nine month old son, Zuri. She kept her eyes closed, hoping sleep would finally come and save her from the memories making her long for her former servant and lover Adam. Ever since the seal was undone, he left and went out on his own. Leah understood. It was no longer manipulating his thoughts, so Eve was still fresh in his heart. But she still missed him. It didn't help that Zuri had his dry black hair and owlish blue eyes. He never really smiled either. It was always a pout or a small grin.

Then, suddenly, she felt a presence.

It came out of nowhere, as if it suddenly popped into existence. She didn't have much time to ponder how the entity appeared, however, because an all too familiar smell assaulted her nose. The overwhelming smell of iron. Vampire. She reached for her glock hidden under her pillow, but she maintained her sleeping façade while rolling over to face the window. The figure closed the curtains before stepping closer to the corner. One eye opened just enough to see the crib in the far corner. She'd catch the vampire by surprise, thereby increasing her chances of keeping Zuri alive. The first attack could make all the difference. She heard the footsteps of the creature creak closer to the crib, and closer yet as they stepped off of the floorboards and onto the rug. Then, the footsteps stopped. A shadowy figure loomed over the foot of the crib.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

She unleashed the revolver's ammunition, sending bullets into its dead flesh several times. Zuri screamed at the loud noise and Leah jumped out of her bed when she decided that she had killed or at least mortally wounded it. Then, she realized, it was him. It was Adam. He was back. He actually came back to her. He hadn't changed at all, aside from the already healing gunshot wounds. There was something in his eyes. They were no longer passive and depressed. Now they were hardened and instinctual. Leah put on a robe and turned the light switch.

"Adam? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Just…checking in.”

“Okay…could you have at least knocked first?”

“No.”

Leah rolled her eyes. “What do you want Adam?” she asked as she brushed past him and pulled Zuri into her arms, rubbing his back to calm and soothe him.

"I...I'd like to return. If you'd have me."

Leah paused. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I've been able to accept what you did. I've been watching you two ever since I came back to Russia a week ago. I wasn't sure I could but...I think I'm okay now."

"Oh really?”

"Besides, only a zombie would leave a woman to raise his own son alone."

Leah snorted. "Well, I'll have you know your son Abel has taken quite a liking to Zuri."

"That's another reason to come back. Can't have him corrupting my child with his goody fucking two-shoes attitude, can I?"

Leah ran her fingers over the infant's face, soothing him back into sleep. She could sense the burden he carried as a Nistarim and took as much as she could before laying him back in the crib with his shark plushie. She grabbed Adam's arm and dragged him over to lay his hand on the infant's belly. He seemed averse to it initially, but he seemed to slowly enjoy it. Once Zuri was asleep, he removed his hand and decided to send them flying onto the bed, knocking the air from her lungs.

“Now let's have a kiss since I'm such a gentleman,” Adam whispered, leaning in. “I came back after all.”

Leah laughed quietly, turning her face to the side so he got her jaw instead. He obviously decided this was clearly his cue to kiss Leah everywhere but her mouth. He sat up and pulled Leah's nightshirt off over her head and threw it onto the floor, looking very pleased with himself. He bit into Leah's collarbone, getting a surprised yelp in return.

“Kiss me properly,” he hissed.

“No.”

“Come now, don't be difficult.” His hands paused when he reached the waistband of Leah's baggy sweatpants. "What the hell are these?"

"Pardon me. I didn't realize I'd have bed company, so I didn’t try dressing sexy," Leah snarled.

"I can tell you right now these ugly zombie things are going in the fucking trash when we’re done."

"I’ve got more. And what of your clothes?"

Adam made a vague noise of annoyance, briefly climbing off the edge of the bed to scramble out of his leather jacket, button down shirt and black jeans and gloves. Well, at least his sense of style was the same. His hands ran up her thighs when she straddled him, his hair glinting in the moonlight.

He began to move, slowly at first but quickly gathering speed. He was often impatient. He captured Leah's lips again, their moans spilling into each other’s mouths.

“I've missed you, Adam.” Leah said when they broke apart to breathe, resting their foreheads against each other's, the steady roll of his hips causing Leah to shake slightly.

“I know...I know."

She bit her lip to keep back the cry that threatened to escape as he altered their angle just slightly, seeing his eyes flicker shut and knowing he’d found just the spot he wanted. He had to be close if he was closing his eyes. She knew she was close.

His body practically slumped when he came, but he dutifully continued to move, trying to drag her over the edge. It didn’t take much, especially with him panting next to her ear. She liked the way Adam's weight felt on her. Grounding, and sure, and definite. He got his breath back first, and took advantage of Leah's post-orgasm paralysis to roll Leah on top of him, their sweat sticky between them.

“Can I stay?” he asked.

“Only if you say the magic words."

“I love you?”

“Hmmm. That’ll do for now. I’m too tired to bitch.”

“That’s a first.”

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: When I first saw Jarmusch's movie, I was in love, but despite that love there were a lot of plot holes that could've been filled. I'm going to try to fill those holes in a way I would've portrayed it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Only Lover's Left Alive or the canon characters. The ringtone belongs to Demon Hunter.


End file.
